INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Developing Countries: Malaria

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what ring-fenced uplift in resources each of his Department's in-country programmes has received to fund the procurement of bed-nets in each of the next three years.

Gareth Thomas: As stated in the answer of 24 March 2009,  Official Report, column 264W, the costs of supplying 20 million bed nets for Africa are being drawn from our country programme budget allocations for the period 2008-09 to 2010-11. No additional resources have been specifically ring-fenced for this purpose.

Liberia: Corruption

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what aid the UK has given to Liberia to tackle corruption in the last three years; and what his most recent assessment is of levels of corruption in Liberia.

Gareth Thomas: Since 2005 the Department for International Development (DFID) has contributed approximately £150,000 in supporting the Government of Liberia in its efforts to establish the Liberian Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC) and to develop and finalise its National Anti-Corruption Strategy. In 2008, DFID also paid off outstanding arrears owed by the Liberian General Auditing Commission (GAC), which amounted to a total of $43,145, allowing the Auditor General and his staff to attend specialised training courses to enable them to undertake more comprehensive and detailed audits of government finances.
	The Government of Liberia is firmly committed to tackling corruption and prosecuting those involved. Though challenges still remain, significant progress has been made to improve financial checks and balances, to improve the capacity of the Liberian General Auditing Commission and in sending for prosecution any individuals (government or otherwise) accused of corruption.

United Nations: Females

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps he is taking to support the creation of a United Nations Agency for Women; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: The UK Government's policy is to support the establishment of a single United Nations (UN) agency for women. The UK Government are working closely with other UN member states to get agreement through the General Assembly to establish such an agency.

DEFENCE

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the pre-deployment urgent operational requirements planned for the Tornado GR4s due to be deployed to Afghanistan have been completed.

Bill Rammell: Yes. And I plan on making a written statement to the House shortly.

Air Force: Manpower

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the  (a) required and  (b) actual number of pilots for each aircraft type in the RAF is.  [Official Report, 1 July 2009, Vol. 495, c. 5MC.]

Bill Rammell: The information requested is provided in the following table:
	
		
			  Aircraft type  Required  Actual 
			 C130J 133 130 
			 C130K 73 79 
			 VC10 64 51 
			 TriStar 48 46 
			 C17A 53 46 
			 HS125 17 16 
			 BAel46 10 7 
			 GR4 134 129 
			 Typhoon 60 68 
			 F3 23 30 
			 Harrier 48 48 
			 Nimrod MR2 58 46 
			 Nimrod R1 10 10 
			 Sentinel R1 21 14 
			 E3D 32 28 
			 KingAir 32 27 
			 Dominie 15 9 
			 Tutor 31 46 
			 Tucano 50 47 
			 Hawk 97 84 
			 Puma 96 85 
			 Chinook 101 93 
			 Merlin 75 64 
			 Squirrel 18 16 
			 SeaKing 89 74 
			 Griffin 22 23 
			 Augusta 109 5 5 
			 Predator 8 8 
			 Reaper 14 11 
			 Islander 7 7 
			 Total 1,348 1,347

Armed Forces: Deployment

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many and what percentage of pinch-point trades are in breach of their  (a) tour interval guidelines and  (b) individual separated service guidelines.

Bill Rammell: I refer the hon. Member to the answer my predecessor gave on 23 February 2009,  Official Report, column 19W. The position remains the same and there is nothing further I can add.

Armed Forces: Pensions

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will estimate the cost of paying pensions at an equivalent level for UK service people to  (a) Commonwealth soldiers and  (b) soldiers of other nationalities who served in the British armed forces between 1947 and 2004.

Kevan Jones: All non-British personnel serving now in the armed forces have exactly the same pension arrangements as the wider armed forces. It has long been Government policy not to implement improvements to pensions and similar benefits retrospectively, a policy that has been applied across the public sector in the United Kingdom. Information of the full cost of doing so is not available, however, it has been estimated that to pay retrospective pensions to Gurkhas would cost the MOD £1.5 billion.

Armoured Fighting Vehicles

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Panther vehicles are being upgraded as part of the recently announced £20 million improvement package.

Quentin Davies: 67 Panther Command and Liaison vehicles are being modified to a Theatre Entry Standard.

Armoured Fighting Vehicles

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans his Department has for the role of the Vector vehicle fleet following its withdrawal from operations; and whether planned upgrades to the fleet suspension system and wheel hubs will continue.

Quentin Davies: The future role of the Vector Light Protected Patrol Vehicle when it is withdrawn from operations in Afghanistan is under review. The current programme to upgrade the suspension and wheel hubs of the fleet of Vector will continue.

Army: Training

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many infantry combatants' courses at Catterick Infantry Training Centre have been cancelled in the last 12 months.

Bill Rammell: Between 1 April 2008 and 31 March 2009, the last full year for which records are available, two Combat Infantryman Courses for the Parachute Regiment and one for the Guards were cancelled.

Defence Infrastructure Information Project

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost of the Release 2C stage of the Defence Infrastructure Information Project has been, broken down by budgetary heading; how many desktop terminals have been delivered under the project; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Ainsworth: The Defence Information Infrastructure (DII) programme will deliver a single, secure, coherent and high quality computer infrastructure service across the whole of defence. The associated software functionality is being delivered in stages, called Releases, but I can confirm there is no Release called "2C". The costs of software releases are not held separately as they are an intrinsic part of the wider delivery nor are they associated with desktop terminal numbers.
	The current contract will run until 2015 and is let on an incremental basis. It includes Increment 1, Increment 2a and 2b, which provide office, mobile and deployable capabilities, and in January 2009 we signed a contract extension for Increment 2c, to provide new operational capability in the Top Secret domain. The approved programme costs for Increment 2c are £257 million; the contract element is £191 million at 2008 prices.
	The whole DII Programme has to date delivered 75,000 terminals, with 190,000 users now live on the system.

Defence: Procurement

Bruce George: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many of the recommendations contained in the National Audit Office report on the Risk of Fraud in Defence Procurement, Session 1994-5, HC 258, have been  (a) fully and  (b) partially implemented.

Quentin Davies: The conclusions made by the National Audit Office Report on the Risk of Fraud in Defence Procurement reflect the progress made by the Ministry of Defence and have been implemented in full or in part.
	The report concluded overall that the Department had made good progress in implementing actions on those areas of procurement most at risk and recognised that a plan was in place to strengthen existing measures and introduce new fraud deterrence and detection initiatives. In 1999, the Department created the Defence Fraud Analysis Unit (DFAU), and in 2006 established the Defence Irregularity Reporting Cell to act as the central point for the reporting of all suspicions of irregularity, including fraud, theft and corruption. Defence Equipment and Support, which was formed in 2007, has created a Defence Crime Forum to address the risk of fraud and corruption in the procurement environment.

Departmental Billing

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the average number of days taken to pay an invoice by  (a) his Department and  (b) each of its executive agencies was in each month since November 2008.

Kevan Jones: holding answer 12 June 2009
	The Department does not keep statistics on the average number of days taken to pay suppliers' invoices. This information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	The Department is working towards payment performance within a target date of 10 working days in accordance with the Government's Prompt Payment Initiative. Information currently available for the Department, its agencies and trading funds since November 2008 is as follows:
	
		
			  Percentage paid within 10 days 
			   MOD and agencies  UKHO  Met Office  DSTL 
			 November 2008 72.3 — — 19.7 
			 December 2008 85.0 — — 26.0 
			 January 2009 80.0 — 55.5 46.0 
			 February 2009 85.0 — 82.5 19.9 
			 March 2009 90.7 94.7 86.2 38.3 
			 April 2009 92.8 97.6 81.3 — 
			 May 2009 98.4 98.1 77.5 — 
		
	
	We are working with the Defence Support Group towards a target to pay trade creditors' invoices within 10 days of receipt.

Departmental Press

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what  (a) newspapers and  (b) periodicals are delivered to the private office of each Minister in his Department; and at what cost in the latest period for which figures are available.

Kevan Jones: A list of newspapers and periodicals centrally contracted for delivery to the private offices of Ministers in the Department is provided in the table. The total cost for these newspapers and periodicals for March 2009 was £729.41.
	
		
			  Newspaper  Frequency  Total number of copies 
			  Daily Express Monday to Friday 3 
			  Saturday 1 
			  Daily Mail Monday to Friday 4 
			  Saturday 1 
			  Daily Mirror Monday to Friday 3 
			  Daily Record Daily 1 
			  Daily Telegraph Monday to Friday 4 
			  Saturday 1 
			  Sunday Telegraph Weekly 1 
			  Financial Times Monday to Friday 4 
			  Saturday 1 
			  Glasgow Herald Daily 1 
			  Saturday 1 
			  Guardian Monday to Friday 4 
			  Saturday 1 
			  Independent Monday to Friday 4 
			  Independent on Sunday Weekly 1 
			  Independent on Saturday Weekly 1 
			  International Herald Tribune Monday to Friday 1 
			  International Herald Tribune Saturday 1 
			  Tribune Monthly 1 
			  The Sun Monday to Friday 3 
			  Saturday 1 
			  The Times Monday to Friday 4 
			  Sunday Times Weekly 1 
			  Times Saturday Weekly 1 
			  The Economist Weekly 3 
			  The New Statesman Weekly 4 
			  The Spectator Weekly 3 
			  Evening Standard 1st Edition Monday to Friday 2 
			  The Scotsman Monday to Friday 1 
			  The Observer Weekly 1 
			  Scotland on Sunday Weekly 1 
			  Private Eye Twice monthly 2

Departmental Responsibilities

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how he plans to allocate responsibility for defence procurement matters to his Ministers.

Bob Ainsworth: The right hon. Lord Drayson will be Minister of State for Strategic Defence Acquisition Reform, leading on the reform of Defence acquisition, Defence Research and Development, and championing new technologies in Defence. As the architect of the Defence Industrial Strategy he will lead work on the next version of the strategy. He will also have responsibilities as Minister of State, Department of Business Innovation and Skills, for Government policy on science and innovation.
	Quentin Davies MP will remain as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State and Minister for Defence Equipment and Support, with his existing responsibilities for the Defence Equipment Programme through life, performance management of Defence Equipment and Support and its agencies, and the MOD interest in Defence exports. He will work with Lord Drayson on acquisition reform. He will also assume the UK lead responsibility for the High Level Working Group with the French Government on equipment cooperation.

Heroes Return 2 Scheme

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much funding had been allocated to veterans under the Heroes Return 2 scheme on the latest date for which figures are available.

Kevan Jones: holding answer 8 June 2009
	The Ministry of Defence has allocated no funding for veterans under the Heroes Return 2 scheme, which is being funded by the Big Lottery Fund. The Heroes Return 2 scheme will provide funding to help World War II veterans resident in the UK or the Republic of Ireland to participate in commemorative visits, both within the UK and overseas, to mark the 65(th) and other anniversary events that led to the end of WWII.
	The scheme opened on 1 April 2009 and up to 29 May it had received 1,115 applications and made 599 awards with a total of £920,275.
	MOD Ministers and Chiefs of Staff participated in the 65(th) anniversary events in Normandy at the invitation of the Royal British Legion and Normandy Veterans' Association. There was significant representation by our armed forces with over 1,000 participating in events across Normandy and standing alongside veterans. MOD is also discussing with Westminster Abbey the possibility of a commemoration service in the autumn as requested by the Normandy Veterans Association.

Korean War: Anniversaries

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many veterans he expects to attend the commemoration of the sixtieth anniversary of the ceasefire in the Korean War on 27 July 2010; and if he will make arrangements to facilitate their attendance through  (a) financial support and  (b) other means.

Kevan Jones: The end of the Korean war is due to be commemorated in 2013, the 60th( )anniversary of the armistice. It is too early to say how this anniversary might be officially marked or indeed how many might attend. My officials have been in contact with the Korean Veterans Association who are content that the commemorations should take place in 2013.

Members: Correspondence

Michael Spicer: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he plans to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for West Worcestershire of 14 April 2009 on Trident (reference: MC01616/2009).

Bill Rammell: My predecessor replied to the hon. Member on 8 May 2009.

Military Aircraft

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many  (a) planned and  (b) actual usage hours for (i) TriStar and (ii) VC10 aircraft there were in each year since 2003.

Quentin Davies: For figures covering financial years 2003-04 to 2007-08 I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend, the then Minister of State for the Armed Forces, on the 10 July 2008,  Official Report, column 1748W, to the hon. Member for Woodspring (Dr. Fox). The planned and actual flying hours for 2008-09 are shown in the following table:
	
		
			   2008-09 
			  Tristar  
			 Planned 11,561 
			 Actual 8,966 
			   
			  VC10  
			 Planned 9,254 
			 Actual 8,952

Navistar Defence Husky

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for what reason the Navistar Defence Husky was selected for the Tactical Support Vehicle: Medium requirement; and what other tenders for the contract for that requirement were received.

Quentin Davies: The Navistar Defence vehicle which forms the base for Husky was selected for the Tactical Support Vehicle (TSV) Medium requirement because it met or exceeded all of the key user requirements, and the very demanding delivery schedule, while also providing the best overall value for money.
	11 companies returned expressions of interest, of which six were within the scope of the TSV Medium. The six expressions of interest were from Iveco, Mercedes-Benz, Navistar Defence, Krauss-Maffei Wegmann, Renault Trucks Defense and Penman Engineering Ltd.

Navy: Gibraltar

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Royal Navy warships are based in UK waters off Gibraltar.

Bill Rammell: Two Royal Navy warships, HMS Sabre and HMS Scimitar, are based in Gibraltar. These are 16-metre fast patrol launches and form the Gibraltar Squadron.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Departmental Billing

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many days on average  (a) his Department and  (b) each of its executive agencies took to pay an invoice in each month since November 2008.

Paul Goggins: The following table shows the average number of working days taken to pay an invoice by the Northern Ireland Office, including the Public Prosecution Service Northern Ireland (PPS), and its agencies in each month since November 2008.
	
		
			  Average number of working days taken to pay an invoice 
			   NIO Core  (inc. PPS)  NI Prison Service  Forensic Science NI  Compensation Agency  Youth Justice Agency 
			 November 2008 11.5 14.2 22 9 10.5 
			 December 2008 10.0 10.9 20 7 10.1 
			 January 2009 12.2 11.2 18 7 12.4 
			 February 2009 9.8 10.0 13 6 9.3 
			 March 2009 9.7 13.6 13 5 11.6 
			 April 2009 8.8 11.4 15 6 11.5 
			 May 2009 8.2 9.9 15 7 9.7

Police Service of Northern Ireland

Jeffrey M Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many officers who  (a) retired and  (b) resigned from the Police Service of Northern Ireland in each of the last three years retained a personal protection weapon.

Paul Goggins: That is an operational matter for the Chief Constable. I have asked him to reply directly to the right hon. Member, and a copy of his letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

Prisoners: Basic Skills

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the estimated  (a) numeracy and  (b) literacy rate was among prisoners in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years.

Paul Goggins: The following tables provide a breakdown of the assessed levels of numeracy and literacy rates among prisoners in Northern Ireland in each of the last five financial years and the current financial year up to 31 May.
	
		
			  Numeracy 
			  Financial year  Below entry level  Entry Level 1  Entry level 2  Entry level 3  Level 1  plus  above  Total number of assessments 
			 2004-05 110 118 331 475 389 1,423 
			 2005-06 112 131 352 513 378 1,486 
			 2006-07 118 73 273 588 460 1,512 
			 2007-08 118 74 285 581 508 1,566 
			 2008-09 118 96 278 607 514 1,613 
			 1 April 2009-31 May 2009 29 31 95 199 229 583 
		
	
	
		
			  Literacy 
			  Financial year  Below entry level  Entry Level 1  Entry level 2  Entry level 3  Level 1 plus above  Total number of assessments 
			 2004-05 76 97 236 523 489 1,421 
			 2005-06 90 75 235 590 490 1,480 
			 2006-07 116 49 202 621 520 1,508 
			 2007-08 103 44 200 602 609 1,558 
			 2008-09 102 61 228 614 614 1,619 
			 1 April 2009-31 May 2009 21 26 77 179 274 577

SCOTLAND

Departmental Plants

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much his Department spent on pot plants in  (a) 2007-08 and  (b) 2008-09.

Ann McKechin: The Scotland Office have incurred no expenditure on pot plants in either 2007-08 or 2008-09.

TRANSPORT

Aviation

Dai Davies: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport for what reasons data collected in in-flight flight recorders are not transmitted in real time to  (a) the Civil Aviation Authority and  (b) air traffic control regulators; and what research has been undertaken into encryption of such data.

Paul Clark: Cockpit voice recordings are not transmitted in real time because of the need to ensure data security. There is a potential for unscrupulous surveillance and interventions, which are capable of compromising the data. There is currently no internationally accepted method available for the encryption of these recordings, although industry-led research is under way.
	The limiting factors for the transmission of flight data recordings are the technical and financial challenge of fitting appropriate equipment to the aircraft and the development of the necessary satellite bandwidth.

Aviation: Safety

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport whether his Department issued any guidance in relation to A330 aircraft following the warning by the US Federal Aviation Administration in 2001 that unreliable air speed may be caused by a random destruction or obstructed pitots in relation to that aircraft.

Paul Clark: Civil aviation safety in the UK is regulated by independent aviation safety regulators: the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). As such the Department for Transport does not itself issue guidance. In July 2001, the Federal Aviation Administration issued an Airworthiness Directive (AD) related to a potential unsafe condition associated with unreliable airspeed indication. The AD was issued in order to mandate action for Airbus A330 aircraft registered in the US, which had already been taken in Europe by France as the State of Design for that aircraft. The French Directorate General of Civil Aviation recognised a potential safety problem and issued two ADs on the Airbus A330 in February 2001 The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) made the ADs mandatory in the UK at that time.

Bus Services: Standards

John McDonnell: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many bus drivers were examined under the driver quality monitoring scheme in 2008-09; and how many of them were found to be unacceptable with  (a) serious faults and  (b) dangerous faults.

Paul Clark: holding answer 12 June 2009
	The following table shows the number of driver quality monitoring (DQM) assessments conducted by the Driving Standards Agency in 2008-09.
	
		
			  2008-09 
			   Number 
			 Total DQM assessments 9,876 
			 Unacceptable serious faults 2,382 
			 Unacceptable dangerous faults 85 
		
	
	Assessment data is reported back to the client on the next day for potential remedial action. For assessments recording dangerous faults, the bus company is notified on the day of the assessment. In all cases, the client is responsible for any further action.

Departmental Data Protection

James Brokenshire: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many officials in  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies have been (i) disciplined and (ii) dismissed for (A) breaches of data protection requirements and (B) inappropriate use of personal or sensitive data in the last 12 months.

Chris Mole: There have been fewer than five occurrences of (i) disciplinary action or (ii) dismissal for (A) breaches of data protection requirements and (B) inappropriate use of personal or sensitive data during the last 12 months. As there have been less than five such occurrences, further information is withheld on grounds of confidentiality.
	Information is a key asset to government, and its correct handling is vital to the delivery of public services and to the integrity of Her Majesty's Government. The Security Policy Framework and the Data Handling Report produced by the Cabinet Office provide a strategic framework for protecting information that government handles and put in place a set of mandatory measures which Departments must adhere to.

Departmental Exhaust Emissions

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what estimate he has made of the volume of carbon dioxide emissions arising from official journeys made by his Department's employees in the last five years.

Chris Mole: The Department for Transport has collected data on carbon dioxide emissions resulting from road, rail and air travel since 2005.
	The volume of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions arising from official journeys is estimated as follows:
	2005-06: 11.6 million tonnes of CO2
	2006-07: 11.2 million tonnes of CO2
	2007-08: 11.1 million tonnes of CO2
	The figures are calculated from Sustainable Operations on the Government Estate (SOGE) returns. SOGE for 2008-09 is due for completion by 31 July 2009, so carbon emission figures for that year will be calculated by September.

Departmental Taxis

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what expenditure his Department incurred on taxis in each of the last two years.

Chris Mole: The Department for Transport (central) and three of its agencies, Driving Standards Agency, Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency and Vehicle Certification Agency spent the amounts in the following table on taxis in the last two years.
	
		
			  £ 
			   2007-08  2008-09 
			 DfT(c) 143,796 137,968 
			 DSA 20,556 26,686 
			 DVLA 47,196 52,041 
			 VCA 2,078 3,562 
		
	
	The Department's other four agencies, Government Car and Despatch Agency, Highways Agency, Maritime and Coastguard Agency and Vehicle Operator Services Agency do not record taxi fares separately from other travel costs and could provide the information only at disproportionate cost.

Driving Tests: Motorcycles

Louise Ellman: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what assessment he has made of the adequacy of provision of sites for Module One motorcycle tests; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Clark: holding answer 12 June 2009
	The number of sites providing the Module One (Off Road) Motorcycle Test is detailed in the following table:
	
		
			  Site Category  Number of Sites 
			 Multi-Purpose Test Centres (MPTC) 44 
			 Vehicle and Operator Services Agency sites (weekend testing only) 16 
			 Casual hire sites 6 
			 Total 66 
		
	
	This means that 88 per cent. of the population are within 45 minutes travelling time or 20 miles of an off-road facility. The Driving Standards Agency is continuing to search for additional sites to further improve coverage.

Driving: Licensing

Robert Goodwill: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport on how many occasions in each of the last three years for which information is available GPs or other medical practitioners have disclosed information to the medical adviser of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency about licence holders of  (a) passenger service vehicles,  (b) large goods vehicles and  (c) cars and other light vehicles.

Paul Clark: holding answer 12 June 2009
	The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency seeks disclosure of medical reports from GPs and consultants where a driver has notified a medical condition that may affect their ability to drive. The number of such reports received during the last year are shown as follows categorised as ordinary (car/bike) and vocational (lorry/bus) entitlement.
	
		
			   Number 
			 Ordinary 110,232 
			 Vocational 18,661

Heathrow Airport

Justine Greening: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport with reference to the Project Heathrow project delivery and risk reports, what level of probability his Department assigns to  (a) low,  (b) medium and  (c) high risk classifications in respect of (i) inherent and (ii) residual risk likelihood assessments; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Clark: The probability of the risks, both inherent and residual, identified in the Heathrow Project risk registers was a matter of judgment for the project manager, subject to review by the Project Board. It does not relate to a specific, quantifiable probability.
	A risk register represents a snapshot of a project at a given point through the eyes of one of its members and is only one of a number of tools used to assist effective project management.

Local Government: Parking

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport which local authorities have expressed an interest in levying workplace parking charges to date.

Sadiq Khan: The Transport Committee Report on Urban Charging Schemes in 2003—ISBN 0215008081 at:
	http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200203/cmselect/cmtran/390/39005.htm
	listed the 35 local authorities who initially expressed an interest in using powers under the Transport Act 2000 to introduce road user charging or workplace parking levy. Since then, only one local authority, Nottingham city council, has approached the Department for Transport with proposals for a scheme.
	A scheme was considered for the northern fringe of Bristol by the West of England local authorities as part of their TIF proposals, but they decided not to pursue it.
	Devon county council has expressed an interest in considering a workplace parking levy in the context of its Local Transport Plan and as part of a bid to the Department for funding to investigate the possibility of introducing demand management measures. They have not yet provided developed proposals.

M25

Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what change was made to the cost-benefit ratio for the M25 design, build, finance and operate widening project following each increase in the cost of the project.

Chris Mole: A benefit cost ratio (BCR) of monetised impacts was determined for each of the two widening schemes (between Junctions 16 to 23, and Junctions 27 to 30) included within the M25 design, build, finance and operate contract.
	The following table summarises the BCR figures at each ministerial approval stage. The method for calculating the BCR figures changed for scheme appraisals carried out since 2005-06 and the targeted programme of improvements figures are therefore not directly comparable with the later approvals.
	
		
			   Benefit cost ratio 
			   Junction 16 to 23  Junction 27 to 30 
			 Ministerial approval at TPI entry in 2004 5.5 2.4 
			 Ministerial approval to increased costs for widening—27 July 2007 4.2 2.4 
			 Ministerial approval to maximum expected cost for M25 DBFO contract—1 April 2009 3.5 2.0

M25

Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what estimate was made of the cost of the proposed M25 widening scheme when  (a) the decision was made to let the contract for that scheme through a private finance initiative scheme and  (b) the contract for the widening scheme was signed off.

Chris Mole: holding answer 12 June 2009
	The approved estimate for widening the M25 between Junctions 16 and 23, and between Junctions 27 and 30 was £0.90 billion at the time these projects entered the Targeted Programme of Improvements in 2004.
	The capital cost of these widening schemes was re-estimated and approved at £1.28 billion in July 2007. At this stage it had been agreed that the widening of the M25 between Junctions 16-23 and Junctions 27-30 schemes would be procured through the M25 design, build, finance and operate (DBFO) contract. The estimates did not include the cost of financing via the private finance initiative route.
	The contract was awarded to Connect Plus on 20 May 2009 with total capital costs for the two widening sections of £1.02 billion. This represents the fixed price from Connect Plus for development and construction of the two sections being widened but excludes the cost of financing.

Railways: Finance

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how much capital funding the Government has allocated to rail travel in  (a) the North East and  (b) England in each year since 1997.

Chris Mole: The information is not available in the form requested. A breakdown of annual expenditure by mode and region is available in the Department for Transport Annual Report. Details of total historic expenditure are available in National Rail Trends which is published by the Office of Rail Regulation. Copies of these documents are available in the Libraries of the House.

Roads: Accidents

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many road traffic accident fatalities there have been in  (a) Tameside and  (b) Stockport in each of the last 10 years.

Paul Clark: The number of fatalities resulting from reported personal injury road accidents in  (a) Tameside and  (b) Stockport in each of the last 10 years is given in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of fatalities 
			   Tameside  Stockport 
			 1998 4 14 
			 1999 6 9 
			 2000 5 5 
			 2001 5 9 
			 2002 4 6 
			 2003 11 11 
			 2004 2 3 
			 2005 6 9 
			 2006 4 4 
			 2007 11 9 
		
	
	The 2008 road casualty statistics will be available on 25 June 2009.

Royal Family: Travel

Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport pursuant to the answer of 20 April 2009,  Official Report, column 396W, on transport: Royal Family, if he will specify that  (a) scheduled flights and  (b) timetabled railway services should be used for journeys by members of the Royal Family funded from his Department's budget.

Paul Clark: holding answer 12 June 2009
	Decisions on air and rail travel arrangements for Members of the Royal Family are taken by the Royal Travel Office and Royal Household on a case-by-case basis as they must be judged on consideration of safety and security requirements, obtaining the best value for money, time-efficiency, the visit requirements, the avoidance of disruption to the public, the environment, and the appropriateness for the visit in question.

Speed Limits: Chideock

Hugo Swire: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport when he expects to announce his Department's decision on the cases of people wrongly notified of speeding offences as a result of the malfunctioning of the speed camera on the westbound A35 at Chideock, Dorset.

Chris Mole: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to my hon. Friend the Member for Plymouth, Devonport (Alison Seabeck) on 3 June 2009,  Official Report, column 486W.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Audit Commission: Bank Services

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much the Audit Commission had on deposit in each Icelandic bank when each account was frozen; and how much of each deposit remains unrecovered.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: This is an operational matter for the Audit Commission and I will ask the chief executive of the Audit Commission to respond to the hon. Member direct.
	 Letter from Steve Bundred, 15 June 2009:
	The Audit Commission had deposits with two Icelandic banks, £5m with Heritable and £5m with Landsbanki when each account was frozen. As at 11 June 2009, no monies have been recovered from either bank.
	A copy of this letter will be placed in Hansard.

Business Improvement Districts

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether an impact assessment has been commissioned in respect of the proposed extension to property owners of the scope of business improvement districts.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Subject to the Business Rate Supplements (BRS) Bill receiving Royal Assent, the Government intend to conduct an impact assessment of the inclusion of property owners in Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) in those areas where a BRS is introduced or already in place. It is envisaged that the assessment will be published alongside a consultation paper on the detailed arrangements needed for BRS-BIDs that will be set out in secondary legislation.

Commission on Architecture and the Built Environment

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what funding the Housing Corporation provided to the Commission on Architecture and the Built Environment in the last 24 months before the corporation's merger with English Partnerships; for what purposes; and at what cost.

Ian Austin: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Welwyn Hatfield (Grant Shapps) on 14 May 2009,  Official Report, columns 1000-01W.

Council Housing: Rents

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent steps he has taken to assist local councils to reduce the levels of rent charged to their tenants.

Ian Austin: Following the written statement made by my right hon. Friend the Member for Derby, South (Margaret Beckett) on 6 March 2009,  Official Report, columns 71-72WS, we have consulted on and issued an Amending Housing Revenue Account Subsidy Determination for 2009-10 on 20 May. This will provide additional subsidy of around £175 million to compensate those councils in England that reduce their rent increases in accordance the Government's decision to offer local authorities a reduction in the 2009-10 national average guideline rent increase from 6.2 per cent. to 3.1 per cent. Local authorities are responsible for making decisions on the rent levels they apply to their social home tenancies.

Council Housing: Waiting Lists

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many people are on a local authority housing waiting list in Stockport; and how many were on such a list in  (a) 2004 and  (b) 1999.

Ian Austin: Information is available on numbers of households rather than people. The number of households registered on local authority housing waiting lists in each local authority, as at 1 April each year from 1997 to 2008, is published on the Communities and Local Government website in Table 600. The link for this table is as follows:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/housing/xls/table600.xls

Councillors

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 20 April 2009,  Official Report, column 423-4W, on councillors, for what reasons the Audit Commission decided to collect data on all local councillors during its next scheduled exercise; and what assessment the Audit Commission made of the level of risk of fraud involving elected members prior to that decision.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: This is an operational matter for the Audit Commission, and I will ask the chief executive of the Audit Commission to write to the hon. Member direct.
	 Letter from Steve Bundred, dated 15 June 2009:
	Your Parliamentary Question has been passed to me for reply.
	Data on local councillors has been collected since 1998. During each cycle of the National Fraud Initiative, local authorities have been required to submit payroll data that includes salaries, wages and members allowances.
	Prior to 1998 and based on known frauds reported by audited bodies, pilot exercises were run to determine the value of data matching payroll within NFI. The pilot data was used to provide anomalies to audited bodies and as a result of their investigations they detected significant numbers of payroll and housing benefit frauds by public sector employees and elected members. Consequently payroll became a core element of the data used in NFI. The long standing principle of running pilots to assess the fraud risk in a dataset is enshrined in the Commission's Code of Data Matching Practice laid before Parliament in July 2008.
	Individual case studies and the total of frauds detected have been reported in the NFI national reports published at the end of each exercise and many have been covered by local and national media particularly where custodial sentences have resulted. Many local authorities have rightly adopted a zero tolerance approach to fraud and it is important that this is as robust with staff and elected members as it is with members of the public.
	A copy of this letter will be placed in Hansard.

Departmental Film

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many videos his Department has uploaded to YouTube since July 2007; and what policy his Department has on the use of  (a) YouTube and  (b) other online media.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Communities and Local Government has published 52 videos on its YouTube channel since July 2008, when the channel launched. The Department decides on a case-by-case basis whether YouTube or other online media channels are used for communications purposes.

Departmental Procurement

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar, of 23 June 2008,  Official Report, column 24W, on departmental procurement, if he will place in the Library a copy of the list of names and addresses of each organisation that supplied goods or services to his Department in 2008-09.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The information that has been requested has been deposited in the Library of the House.

Departmental Training

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what training courses have been attended by special advisers in his Department in the last 12 months; and at what cost.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: None.

Energy Performance Certificates

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance his Department has issued on the provision of energy performance certificates in  (a) hard and  (b) electronic copy.

Ian Austin: The principal guidance on the provision of energy performance certificates published by my Department is as follows:
	Improving the energy efficiency of our buildings: A guide to energy performance certificates for the construction, sale and let of non-dwellings;
	Improving the energy efficiency of our buildings, Local weights and measures guidance for Energy Certificates and air-conditioning inspections for buildings;
	Improving the energy efficiency of our buildings, A guide to Display Energy Certificates and advisory reports for public buildings;
	Improving the energy efficiency of our buildings, an overview of Energy Certificates and Air Conditioning inspections for buildings;
	Energy performance certificates for dwellings in the social and private rented sectors;
	Energy performance certificates for dwellings in the social and private rented sectors, A guide for landlords.
	All of these publications are only available online. There is a considerable list of supporting guidance and other documentation that have been published by my Department in support of energy performance certificates and related documents. A copy of this list has been placed in the Library of the House.

Homebuy Scheme

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether Homebuy agents are permitted to bring forward expected funding from one financial year into another under the terms of their contracts with his Department.

Ian Austin: Homebuy Agents cannot bring forward funding from one financial year to another under the terms of their contract with the Homes and Communities Agency.

Homebuy Scheme

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many registered Homebuy agents there are in each region.

Ian Austin: The Homebuy Agents operating in each region are as follows:
	North East—Time2Buy, Isos Group
	North West—HomesHub, Riverside, Plumlife
	Yorkshire and Humberside—My4walls, Plumlife
	West Midlands—Orbit
	East Midlands—East Midlands Housing
	East—Orbit, Moat, Lea Valley Homes
	South East—Moat, Catalyst, Swaythling Housing
	South West—Home2own
	London—Metropolitan Housing Group/Housing Options, Tower Homes.

Homes and Communities Agency: Olympic Games 2012

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what funds the Homes and Communities Agency has allocated to the development of the Olympic village for the London 2012 Olympic Games; and whether the sums allocated have been amended since the agency first agreed to provide funding for the village.

Ian Austin: In April 2008 an allocation for the Olympic Village site of £85.9 million funding was agreed by the Department.
	In February 2009 the London Board of the Homes and Communities Agency agreed additional funding for affordable housing up to a total cap of £110 million and provided that the total amount of affordable housing was no more than 50 per cent. of the residential on the Olympic Village.
	Following the finalisation of the negotiation of the additional affordable housing units and a change in the mix of units agreed in the original proposal through the planning obligation, a total of £110 million in social housing grant was agreed. (£85.8 million for the units originally proposed plus £24.2 million for the additional units).

Housing

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many local authorities operate choice-based housing allocation schemes.

Ian Austin: As at April 2009 the Choice Based Lettings housing allocations schemes were being operated in 211 local authorities in England.

Housing Revenue Accounts

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much each local authority allocated for its Housing Revenue Account for  (a) maintenance,  (b) management,  (c) Decent Homes,  (d) major repairs,  (e) arm's length management organisations,  (f) private sector renewal and  (g) subsidy payments in each of the last five years.

Ian Austin: Communities and Local Government does not hold information about allocations made by local authorities for the categories requested.

Housing: Carbon Emissions

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change on the definition of zero carbon for homes and non-domestic properties; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Austin: The Department is working closely with the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) on the development of our policies on zero carbon homes and non-domestic buildings. DECC is represented at ministerial level on the 2016 task force, which is jointly chaired by the Minister for Housing and Planning and the Executive Chairman of the Home Builders Federation and which brings together key stakeholders at senior level to oversee development and implementation of the zero carbon homes policy.

Housing: Low Incomes

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many Homebuy homes designated in each Homebuy scheme were available in  (a) Welwyn Hatfield and  (b) Hertfordshire in each of the last 12 months.

Ian Austin: We do not hold centrally the number of homes available for Open Market Homebuy in Welwyn Hatfield and Hertfordshire in each of the last 12 months. This scheme enables purchasers to buy any property on the open market with the help of an equity loan. Ownhome and My Choice Homebuy are subsets of Open Market Homebuy.
	Again for Homebuy Direct we do not centrally collect the number of homes available to purchase at local authority level.
	The number of completed homes each month for New Build Homebuy for Welwyn Hatfield and Hertfordshire has been provided in the following table. The total for Hertfordshire includes those homes completed within Welwyn Hatfield. In each month there are likely to be more homes available than just those newly completed, as some homes can take a few months to sell and others come back on the market as occupants change.
	
		
			   Welwyn Hatfield  Hertfordshire total 
			  2008   
			 April 0 0 
			 May 0 1 
			 June 6 6 
			 July 0 12 
			 August 0 0 
			 September 0 21 
			 October 0 7 
			 November 0 2 
			 December 28 39 
			
			  2009   
			 January 0 0 
			 February 0 9 
			 March 5 31 
			 Total 39 128 
			  Source:  Homes and Communities Agency. 
		
	
	For Rent to Homebuy the following table shows the number of completions in each month for Welwyn Hatfield and Hertfordshire. The total for Hertfordshire includes those homes completed within Welwyn Hatfield. In each month there are likely to be more homes available than just those newly completed, as some homes can take a short time to rent.
	
		
			   Welwyn Hatfield  Hertfordshire total 
			  2008   
			 April 0 0 
			 May 0 0 
			 June 0 0 
			 July 0 0 
			 August 0 0 
			 September 0 0 
			 October 0 0 
			 November 0 0 
			 December 0 0 
			
			  2009   
			 January 0 0 
			 February 0 0 
			 March 0 28 
			 Total 0 28 
			  Source:  Homes and Communities Agency. 
		
	
	We do not hold centrally data on the number of properties on which Social Homebuy is offered by landlords participating in the scheme.
	Throughout this answer Hertfordshire has been interpreted as covering the following local authorities: Broxbourne, Dacorum, East Hertfordshire, Hertsmere, North Hertfordshire, St. Albans, Stevenage, Three Rivers, Watford and Welwyn Hatfield.

Housing: Low Incomes

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Welwyn, Hatfield of 8 May 2009,  Official Report, columns 448-9W, on housing: low incomes, how many households have moved into dwellings under the New Build Homebuy Scheme to date.

Ian Austin: The following table shows the number of initial sales recorded through the New Build Homebuy scheme since 1997-98, the earliest date for which New Build Homebuy is separately identified.
	
		
			   New Build Homeb uy initial sales 
			 1997-98 4,020 
			 1998-99 4,270 
			 1999-2000 3,740 
			 2000-01 3,190 
			 2001-02 3,370 
			 2002-03 3,780 
			 2003-04 4,200 
			 2004-05 5,820 
			 2005-06 7,540 
			 2006-07 10,340 
			 2007-08 11,490 
			  Source: Continuous Recording (CORE) returns to the Tenant Services Authority (TSA) from registered social landlords 
		
	
	It has been assumed that households responsible for initial sales of New Build Homebuy will take up residence.
	The figures cover the number of initial sales recorded on CORE, which is assumed to be the same number as the number of households moving into dwellings.
	CORE sales figures are only provided by RSLs with at least 250 units or bedspaces. RSLs with less units can complete the form, but it is not compulsory, so these figures may be under recording the number of New Build Homebuy sales.

Housing: Low Incomes

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 8 June 2009,  Official Report, column 749W, on Homebuy schemes, what the cost of services related to the design of Homebuy brand logos was in each of the last three years.

John Healey: The cost of services related to the design of the Homebuy brand logo in the last financial year was £21,090 excluding VAT. The Department incurred no such costs in the previous years requested.

Local Government Finance

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Meriden of 27 April 2009,  Official Report, column 1119W, on local government finance, for what reasons some local authorities received no funding in the most recent round of the local authority business growth incentive scheme.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Local authorities qualified for funding under the local authorities business growth incentives (LABGI) scheme when their business growth exceeded historic growth levels. When business growth did not exceed these levels, local authorities received no funding.

Non-Domestic Rates

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many  (a) large and  (b) small properties were assessed as having capped rises in business rates bills under a fifth year of transitional relief in 2009-10 as part of the analysis undertaken for Department's August 2004 National Non-Domestic Rates Transitional Arrangements Consultation; and what estimate was made under that analysis of the external revenue implications of a fifth year of transition.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The consultation 'NNDR transitional arrangements' did not include options for a five-year scheme and therefore no such assessment was made.

Parks: Finance

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much funding his Department has allocated for parks in  (a) Essex and  (b) Castle Point in each year since 1997.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Public parks and green spaces are primarily funded through revenue support grant provided to local authorities by Communities and Local Government. Central Government does not prescribe how much should be spent by each local authority on their open spaces; this is a matter for them to determine in line with local priorities.
	Information is not collected by central Government on the number of parks in a local authority area or region.

Parks: Merseyside

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  how much funding his Department allocated for parks in  (a) Crosby and  (b) Merseyside in each year since 1997;
	(2)  how many parks in  (a) Crosby and  (b) Merseyside are receiving funding from his Department in 2009-10.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Public parks and green spaces are primarily funded through revenue support grant provided to local authorities by Communities and Local Government. Central Government does not prescribe how much should be spent by each local authority on their open spaces; this is a matter for them to determine in line with local priorities.
	Information is not collected by central Government on the number of parks in a local authority area or region.

Recreation Spaces: East of England

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  how much funding his Department allocated for parks in  (a) Mid Bedfordshire and  (b) the East of England in each year since 1997;
	(2)  how many parks are receiving funding from his Department in  (a) Mid Bedfordshire and  (b) the East of England in 2009-10.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Public parks and green spaces are primarily funded through revenue support grant provided by Communities and Local Government. Central Government does not prescribe how much should be spent by each local authority on their open spaces; this is a matter for them to determine in line with local priorities.
	Information is not collected by central Government on the number of parks in a local authority area or region.

Regeneration: Coastal Areas

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Vale of Clwyd of 9 December 2008,  Official Report, columns 56-7W, on the coastal town network, on what dates the coastal towns network has met since October 2008.

Rosie Winterton: The Coastal Towns Network, which is led by the South East England Development Agency, has met twice since October 2008, on 22 January 2009 and 2 April 2009, with the next meeting planned for 28 July 2009.

Sheltered Housing

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what research he has  (a) commissioned and  (b) evaluated on the operation of (i) full-time and (ii) floating support managers in sheltered housing schemes.

Ian Austin: The Department has not commissioned any research specific to the operation of full-time and floating support managers in sheltered housing schemes.
	However, in September 2006 Civis consultants were commissioned to undertake a literature and current practice review of floating support to better understand the effectiveness of floating support services, and the balance needed between floating support and accommodation-based services in order to improve service delivery and choice and control for service users.

Town and Planning Association: Eco-Towns

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what payments his Department has made to the Town and Planning Association for work on eco-towns.

Ian Austin: The details of payments and committed funding to the Town and Country Planning Association (TCPA) in relation to their work on eco-towns was set out in my answer to the hon. Member for Welwyn Hatfield (Grant Shapps) on 23 February 2009,  Official Report, column 108W. I can now confirm that payments to the TCPA in 2008-09 totalled £203,500. Funding to support the TCPA's work on eco-towns for 2009-10 is currently being agreed.

Trees

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much funding his Department has allocated for the preservation of trees in  (a) Essex and  (b) Castle Point in each year since 1997.

Ian Austin: Local planning authorities are responsible for making and administering tree preservation orders. Funding for this function is contained in the revenue support grant and is not ring-fenced. The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

World Heritage Sites: Planning Permission

Richard Younger-Ross: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when he plans to publish the results of the consultation on the Planning Circular on the Protection of World Heritage Sites.

Ian Austin: We are aiming to publish both the summary of consultation responses, and the new Planning Circular, in July 2009.

OLYMPICS

Government Olympic Executive: Consultants

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Minister for the Olympics how much the Government Olympic Executive spent on consultants in each year since 2005.

Tessa Jowell: holding answer 1 June 2009
	The Government Olympic Executive's (GOE) expenditure on consultancy costs for the financial years since 2005-06 is:
	
		
			   £000 
			 2005-06 666 
			 2006-07 721 
			 2007-08 432 
			 2008-09(1) 331 
			 (1) Provisional outturn. 
		
	
	These figures include expenditure by the GOE's predecessor, the Olympic Games Unit. All figures include VAT (where appropriate).
	GOE is the only organisation overseeing the entire Olympic project, integrating the work of multiple delivery bodies, and ensuring the Games is delivered within the £9.3 billion public sector funding provision. GOE's purchase of consultancy services is a planned response to the need to deliver the Government's commitments and guarantees. The consultants have provided valuable short-term support, skills and expertise which has enabled GOE to, among other things:
	identify how the Games will act as a catalyst for the regeneration of the East End with investment in Stratford and the Lower Lea Valley, building on the investment in neighbourhood renewal already being delivered by the Government, Mayor of London and the host boroughs themselves;
	develop and publish a clear Legacy Action Plan;
	develop and implement the most effective governance structures and organisations, such as the Olympic Park Legacy Company, to ensure that physical and sporting legacy is delivered;
	implement more effective and economic operational structures to support the Olympic Board, and ensure that the necessary assurance process are in place;
	develop the essential cross-cutting work-streams to ensure that all elements of the programme are properly integrated so avoiding duplication of effort, late and costly changes to the design and construction of facilities and services; and
	undertake essential tracking research on public attitudes to the Olympics which has informed the legacy ambitions; added to our understanding of people's priorities around London 2012 and shown us how people are becoming involved in the numerous opportunities for London and the UK.

Government Olympic Executive: Employment Tribunals Service

Grant Shapps: To ask the Minister for the Olympics how many actions under employment law have been brought against the Government Olympic Executive in each of the last three years; how many such actions were brought under each category of action; and how many such actions were contested by the Government Olympic Executive at an employment tribunal.

Tessa Jowell: No actions under employment law have been brought against the Government Olympic Executive in the last three years.

Olympic Games 2012: Construction

Bob Laxton: To ask the Minister for the Olympics whether the Olympic Delivery Authority requires contractors to use water-borne means of transport to transport material to and from the Olympic site; and if she will make a statement.

Tessa Jowell: While there is no specific requirement in place, the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) is encouraging all contractors to use the waterways to transport materials. The ODA's work to open up navigable waterways will actively encourage contractors to employ sustainable transport methods at every opportunity. Contractors are embracing this challenge; for example, Team Stadium (the consortium constructing the Olympic Stadium) are building offloading facilities near the stadium to enable movement of materials by water. Two of the ODA's other tier one contractors, Veolia and Aggregate Industries, have also committed to using the waterways to transport materials in and waste out. Veolia, the site waste management contractor, is expected to have the first barge carrying waste out of the park at the end of June 2009, following the opening of Three Mills Lock (formerly known as Prescott Lock) this month.

Olympic Games 2012: Construction

Bob Laxton: To ask the Minister for the Olympics what contracts have been signed with the Olympic Delivery Authority to enable water-borne freight to be transported to and from the Olympic site.

Tessa Jowell: Water-borne freight can access the Olympic Park via several of the waterways which run next to and through the Olympic Park.
	The Lea Navigation canal, which runs along the western perimeter of the site, already enables 100 tonne barges to access the park. Access to Waterworks River (which runs through the centre of the Park) has been facilitated by investment in a new lock at Three Mills (formerly known as Prescott Lock). This lock will enable the passage of 350 tonne barges to the Olympic Park wharf located opposite the aquatics centre. Dredging has been undertaken along Waterworks River to ensure barges can reach the new wharf.
	The construction of Three Mills lock was managed by British Waterways with funding contributions from the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA), Transport for London, Department for Transport, London Development Agency and the London Thames Gateway Development Corporation. Dredging was undertaken by British Waterways. The new wharf along Waterworks River has been constructed by the ODA's tier one contractor, Volker Highways.

Olympic Games 2012: Construction

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Minister for the Olympics what criteria will apply to the award of contracts for landscaping of the London 2012 Olympic main site; and if she will make a statement.

Tessa Jowell: Contracts for landscaping of the London 2012 Olympic Park are the responsibility of the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) and are awarded following a competitive tendering process. The authority is a public body whose procurements are subject to the public contracts regulations.
	The ODA, in support of its overarching commitment to value and quality, sets a number of requirements, including demonstration of quality and functionality, equality and diversity, design and accessibility, and sustainability, as part of the evaluation criteria used to award contracts. In addition to this core criteria, bespoke commercial and technical conditions are set as appropriate for each of the individual contracts within the Landscape and Public Realm project.
	Further detail on ODA procurement policy and principles can be found in the ODA Procurement Policy (published March 2007) and the ODA Supplier Guide (published June 2008).
	Over the next three years, there will be a number of opportunities available to landscaping contractors to supply the thousands of young woodland trees, shrubs and other plants needed to complement those trees and plants already secured for a spectacular and sustainable Olympic Park in both games-time and legacy.

Olympic Games 2012: Facilities

Bob Spink: To ask the Minister for the Olympics what her most recent estimate is of the cost of hosting the London 2012 Olympics  (a) cross country,  (b) equestrian and  (c) modern pentathlon events at Greenwich Park.

Tessa Jowell: The London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) has responsibility for staging the Olympic and Paralympic games at existing venues. The direct costs associated with staging the events at existing venues come from LOCOG's revenues which are primarily derived from commercial sponsorship, broadcast rights, ticket sales and merchandising/licensing not from the public purse.
	There will be attributable costs to the public purse, for example, in respect of the security and transport functions associated with the venue. However, these costs have not yet been identified separately for individual venues, but they will form part of the overall security and transport budgets.

Olympic Games 2012: Finance

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Minister for the Olympics for what reasons the cost of the other Olympic Park venues has fallen from £446 million to £337 million in her May 2009 London 2012 Quarterly Economic Report compared with the previous report.

Tessa Jowell: The main reason for the reduction of £109 million is that £94 million, relating to the Velopark project budget, has been moved from the 'other Olympic Park Venues' grouping and reported as a separate item. Showing project budgets separately, once they are not commercially sensitive, is part of our commitment to transparent reporting of costs relating to the Olympic Programme.
	The remainder of this reduction is the result of savings achieved on the programme through a combination of procurement, VAT and inflation savings.

Olympic Games 2012: Finance

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Minister for the Olympics for what reasons Stratford City Land and Infrastructure and Stratford City Receipt are show as separate entries in her May 2009 London 2012 Quarterly Economic Report.

Tessa Jowell: Prior to the publication of the London 2012 Quarterly Economic Report, the budgets for the Olympic Village and IBC/MPC had been reported as a single aggregate figure. However, with the reduction in commercial sensitivities following the award of contract for the IBC/MPC, coupled with the resolution of funding issues for the Olympic Village, this figure has now been broken down to reflect the budget for each individual project.
	Where possible—as with the separate entries for Stratford City Land and Infrastructure and Stratford City Receipts—budget breakdowns will be provided, wherever commercial sensitivities allow, as part of our commitment to open and transparent reporting.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Culture and Sport Evidence Programme

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much of the budget for the Culture and Sport Evidence Programme has been spent.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Up to the end of May 2009, £351,000 of the budget for the Culture and Sport Evidence Programme had been spent. This represents 20 per cent. of the total budget for this three-year programme.

Culture and Sport Evidence Programme

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment he has made of progress on the Culture and Sport Evidence Programme; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Culture and Sport Evidence Programme (CASE) is progressing well. We have undertaken (i) a fundamental review of published research and data on engagement in culture and sport, (ii) an assessment of research needs at a regional and local level and completed (iii) a review of asset data across the CASE-member bodies and (iv) developed shortened 'Taking Part'-style questions for the 'Understanding Society' longitudinal study, all within the first six months of CASE activity.

Departmental Reviews

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many  (a) review and  (b) taskforce projects his Department has commissioned in each of the last five years; what the purpose of each such project is; when each such project (i) began and (ii) was completed; what the cost of each such project was; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Summary information on taskforces and other standing bodies is available in the annual Cabinet Office publication Public Bodies. Copies of Public Bodies 2008 are available in the Libraries of the House. Detailed information on ad hoc advisory bodies is available in the Department's own 'Public Bodies 2008' Report, which is available on our website:
	www.culture.gov.uk
	Information about reviews commissioned over the last five years and their costs is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Gaming Machines: Taxation

Malcolm Moss: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment his Department has made of the effect that the introduction of a gross profit tax to replace the amusement machine licence duty system would have on implementation of new stakes and prize levels for Category C and D machines.

Gerry Sutcliffe: New stake and prize levels for category C and D gaming machines were implemented on 10 June 2009. The Government are yet to consult on any proposals regarding the future of gaming machine taxation and will take into account all the views expressed by the industry during the consultation before deciding how to proceed.

Tourism: Inland Waterways

Charlotte Atkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will encourage English tourism leaders to promote holidaying on waterways; and if he will make a statement.

Barbara Follett: VisitEngland is England's new tourism body, which works with key stakeholders at national, regional and local levels to create and lead on the delivery of a national tourism strategy, optimising marketing investment and developing the visitor experience across England.
	VisitEngland is promoting waterways on their website:
	www.enjoyengland.com
	which has many links to British Waterways' leisure site:
	www.waterscape.com
	and narrow boating is part of a new VisitEngland advertising campaign called, "enjoy every minute; enjoy England", this includes a television advertisement which started airing on 18 May 2009 on ITV1.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Asylum: Democratic Republic of Congo

Robert Goodwill: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures are in place to monitor the safety of asylum seekers returned to the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 4 June 2009
	 The UK Border Agency only enforces the return of individuals to the Democratic Republic of Congo whom we, and the courts, are satisfied are not in need of protection and who do not elect to leave voluntarily.
	The Court of Appeal's decision in December 2008 upheld the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal's finding that failed asylum seekers are not at risk on return to the Democratic Republic of Congo simply because they have claimed asylum.
	The returns policy is kept under review for countries where we make returns. The UK Border Agency does not routinely monitor the treatment of individual unsuccessful asylum seekers once they are removed from the UK. However, we investigate, in partnership with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, if specific allegations are made that any returnee, to any country, has experienced ill-treatment on return from the UK.

Climate Change

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps his Department has taken to adapt its activities to climate change in the last two years.

Phil Woolas: All Departments are actively involved in the cross-Government Adapting to Climate Change Programme, which aims to help society adapt to climate change. The role of the programme is to develop and provide a comprehensive evidence base including adaptation tools, to raise awareness of the need to adapt, to measure success and to work across Government at all levels to embed adaptation. Further details about the Programme's work can be found at:
	www.defra.gov/adaptation
	As well as working together to tackle issues that affect all departments and their work, each Government Department is adapting to climate change in its own operations and policies.
	Home Office has carried out a preliminary assessment of the business areas that may be affected by climate change. Initial findings are that migration, and crime and policing are the more likely areas of Home Office business to be affected. Home Office estates may also be affected. Our next step is to carry out more detailed assessments in each area, based on different climate change scenarios.

Climate Change

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of his Department's potential gross  (a) costs and  (b) savings arising from its climate change adaptation measures in the next three years.

Phil Woolas: It is not currently possible to provide estimates of the potential costs and savings over the next three years. It has, however, been shown in the Stern Review on the Economics of Climate Change that timely and well-targeted climate adaptation measures will yield benefits in excess of their costs. The main rationale for investment to address climate risk will be to reduce the UK's vulnerability to longer-term climate change impacts.
	The Government are undertaking a Climate Change Risk Assessment and Economic Analysis, which will provide estimates of the costs and benefits of adaptation to the UK. This analysis will be presented to Parliament within three years of the Climate Change Act coming in to force.

Departmental Buildings

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on what date the property searches in the home information pack procured in respect of the sale of 62 South Eaton Place were undertaken; and for how long that property has been on the market.

Phil Woolas: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 23 February 2008,  Official Report, column 160W. The local authority searches were dated 18 April 2008 and the water/drainage search was dated 16 April 2008.

Departmental Drinking Water

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much her Department has spent on water coolers in each year of the last five years.

Phil Woolas: The requested information cannot be obtained without incurring disproportionate cost.

Departmental ICT

John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he has taken to reduce the level of carbon dioxide emissions arising from the operation of ICT systems in his Department under the Greening Government ICT Strategy.

Phil Woolas: The Home Office operates a large-scale, multi-vendor, supply chain delivering a wide range of ICT categories.
	The Home Office CIO, in line with all other Chief Information Officers (CIOs) on the CIO Council, has produced a "CIO Green ICT Roadmap" which we will be following to deliver against the 18 target improvement areas outlined in the Greening Government ICT Strategy including those aimed at reducing carbon emissions.
	The CIOs and Chief Technology Officers (CTO) Council of the Cabinet Office have completed the CIO Green ICT Roadmap baselines for all of its CIOs including local government representatives and agencies.
	The Home Office is directly represented on the CIO/CTO Council Green ICT Delivery Unit and is responsible for providing support to the development of the pan-government Greening Government ICT Strategy and leadership.
	A full report of the CIO Council Green ICT Roadmaps will be made available and will feature the action plans of all Departments involved in the Council against the 18 steps. This will be included in a "one year on" Green ICT CIO report which will be issued by the Cabinet Office in July. The CIO/CTO Council Green ICT Delivery Unit will refresh its annual CIO key objectives against the latest developments in technology and advances in carbon measurement which will be circulated for comment to all CIOs and relevant Departments this summer.
	As already reported to the Cabinet Office in the CIO Green ICT roadmap Home Office businesses are currently analysing, planning and implementing (where appropriate) the actions laid out in the Greening Government ICT Strategy. Our main ICT suppliers are being asked to provide low power consumption devices wherever applicable. We have initiated projects to configure our workstations to automatically power down after hours, to virtualise a significant proportion of our server estate and to implement thin client technology. We have reduced the amount of ICT devices and we are extending "smart working" which will also contribute to reduce the amount of ICT equipment on Home Office estate.

Departmental Manpower

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what  (a) vetting and  (b) security checks are undertaken in respect of staff working at the Abu Dhabi hub (i) prior to and (ii) during employment at the hub.

Alan Johnson: All entry clearance managers, entry clearance officers and other UK based staff are subjected to vetting before undertaking employment at the Abu Dhabi hub, this includes security checks.
	Some locally employed staff of certain nationalities (British, EU and Australian) are vetted if they are working in sensitive (non decision making) areas of our business (e.g. visa embossing). All locally employed staff are subject to local police and reference checks. Integrity and business assurance checks (including audits of IT access and usage) are carried out by the Integrity Manager based in Abu Dhabi.

Deportation: Children

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of accommodating British citizen children accompanying a foreign parent subject to a removal enforcement process in immigration removal centres in each of the last three years.

Phil Woolas: The information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Deportation: Children

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 6 May 2009,  Official Report, column 275W, on deportation: children, whether a race impact study has been undertaken of the expulsion from the UK of British citizen children accompanying a foreign parent subject to a removal enforcement process.

Phil Woolas: The UK Border Agency does not expel, remove or deport people who hold British citizenship, including the British citizen children of foreign nationals subject to the removal process; consequently no race impact study has been conducted.
	Arrangements can be made for a child with British citizenship to accompany a foreign national parent who is to be removed. However, this is strictly voluntary and dependent on the consent of all parties.
	UK-born children who are not British citizens can be detained and removed under Immigration Act powers.

Drugs: Crime

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his most recent estimate is of the average street price of  (a) cocaine and  (b) heroin per gramme.

Alan Johnson: At 31 May 2009, the street prices were as follows:
	 (a) Cocaine: range of £20 to £80 per gram, most common price £40
	 (b) Heroin: range £25 to £100 per gram, most common prices £40 and £50.

Entry Clearances

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects UK Border Agency Sponsor Licence application reference SPL336000079X to be determined.

Phil Woolas: The UK Border Agency wrote to the hon. Member on 8 June 2009 providing an update.

Entry Clearances: Overseas Students

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 19 May 2009,  Official Report, column 1293W, on entry clearances: overseas students, whether the stipulated accreditation entities define the  (a) method and  (b) frequency with which assessments are undertaken.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 3 June 2009
	The definition of the method and frequency of educational institutions' assessment of students is not the responsibility of the UK Border Agency's approved accreditation bodies.
	The awarding bodies responsible for each recognised qualification set out the standards required to achieve the qualification, as well as the assessment methods that are appropriate for each particular qualification.

Entry Clearances: Overseas Students

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to expedite the issuing of visas for schoolchildren from overseas who wish to attend independent schools in the UK from September 2009.

Phil Woolas: There are no special arrangements to expedite the issuing of visas for schoolchildren from overseas who wish to attend independent schools in the UK. We are committed to processing all visa applications in line with our Customers Service Standards, published on our website at:
	www.ukvisas.gov.uk
	and which provide a prompt service.

Firearms

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many illegal firearms were seized as a result of operations by the Serious and Organised Crime Agency in 2008-09.

Alan Johnson: In 2008-09, 72 illicit firearms were seized in the UK and 110 seized overseas as a result of operations by the Serious Organised Crime Agency.

Identity and Passport Service: Disciplinary Proceedings

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many staff of the Identity and Passport Service were  (a) investigated,  (b) disciplined and  (c) dismissed for (i) making procedural errors and (ii) attempted fraud in the issuing of passports in each of the last five years.

Alan Johnson: The information requested is given in the tables.
	These figures do not constitute part of National Statistics as they are based on internal management information. The information has not been quality assured under National Statistics protocols, should be treated as provisional and is subject to change.
	 Part I
	
		
			  Procedural errors of passports  Investigated  Disciplined( 1)  Dismissed 
			 2008-09 11 8 1 
			 2007-08 4 5 1 
			 2006-07 2 2 0 
			 2005-06 1 1 1 
			 2004-05 0 1 0 
			 (1) Indicates an action other than a dismissal. 
		
	
	IPS interprets 'procedural errors' as any situation where the designated policies and procedures involved in the issuing, examining, interviewing etc of passports are not followed, regardless of the intent, i.e. honest mistake (human error) or with a criminal intent.
	Even if a an officer makes an honest mistake a sanction will be applied i.e. further training, work under supervision etc. Consistent thwarting of policies and procedures would involve dismissal as the ultimate sanction.
	 Part II
	The following figures relate to investigations undertaken by the IPS Internal Investigations Team, into allegations or suspicions of fraud in the issuing of passports, in the last five financial years:
	
		
			   Investigated  Disciplined  Dismissed 
			 2004-05 23 7 4 
			 2005-06 17 6 4 
			 2006-07 14 5 0 
			 2007-08 14 3 1 
			 2008-09 16 1 1 
			 (1) A further 12 investigations are ongoing.

Immigration Controls: Fees and Charges

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 19 May 2009,  Official Report, column 1295W, on immigration controls, whether the charge for each certificate of sponsorship will be made in advance of a submission of a certificate.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 3 June 2009
	The payment for each certificate of sponsorship is taken before it can be released to a migrant to enable them to apply for a visa or further leave.

Immigration: Gurkhas

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions he has had with Ministerial colleagues on Government policy in respect of Gurkha settlement rights.

Phil Woolas: We were determined to get the guidance right to ensure that it is fair to all Gurkhas. Officials in the UK Border Agency consulted across Government.
	The consultation process and the issues involved were complex. There was a need to consider issues such as how many former Gurkhas would want to settle, the impact on communities and affordability.

Immigration: Gurkhas

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the number of retired Gurkhas expected to settle in the UK following the High Court decision of 30 September 2008.

Phil Woolas: As a result of the High Court decision of 30 September 2008 the UK Border Agency issued revised guidance on 24 April 2009 for considering settlement applications from former Gurkhas. We estimated that approximately 10,000 former Gurkhas and their families would benefit from the new guidance and would be entitled to settle in the United Kingdom should they choose to do so. These estimates were based on an analysis of records held by the Ministry of Defence.
	On 21 May 2009 the Home Secretary announced that any former Gurkha with more than four years service who had been discharged from the Brigade of Gurkhas before 1 July 1997 would be eligible for settlement in the UK. We estimate that 36,000 former Gurkhas are now eligible to apply to come to the United Kingdom although we believe that not all of those would want to settle here.

Immigration: Gurkhas

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many legacy cases involving Gurkhas the UK Border Agency has;
	(2)  how many Gurkha legacy cases had been concluded by 31 May 2009.

Phil Woolas: Legacy cases are recorded by nationality. It is not possible to disaggregate the number of Nepalese cases that may involve Gurkhas without the examination of individual cases at disproportionate cost.

Immigration: Gurkhas

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the number of  (a) former Gurkha soldiers and  (b) dependants of such soldiers eligible for residency in the UK following the recent change in policy, broken down by period of service during (a) 1947 to 1952, (b) 1953 to 1958, (c) 1959 to 1964, (d) 1965 to 1969, (e) 1970 to 1974, (f) 1975 to 1979, (g) 1980 to 1984, (h) 1985 to 1989, (i) 1990 to 1994, (j) 1995 to 1999 and (k) 2000 to 2004.

Phil Woolas: The estimate of the number of former Gurkha soldiers and the dependants of such soldiers eligible for residency in the UK following the recent change in policy was not broken down by the period of service of the former Gurkha soldiers.
	The estimates were based on the known age profile of former Gurkha soldiers and the estimated age profile of their spouses and dependants.

Immigration: Health Professions

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many foreign-born  (a) doctors and  (b) nurses have achieved residency requirements in the UK in each of the last three years by country of origin.

Phil Woolas: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given on 2 June 2009,  Official Report, columns 362-63W.

Internet: Privacy

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make an assessment of the likely effects on the privacy of individuals of  (a) Google's use of personal information in its online advertising and search functions and  (b) the model for targeted online advertising used by Phorm and other companies.

Patrick McFadden: I have been asked to reply.
	All providers of behavioural advertising have to comply with UK laws.
	The Internet Advertising Bureau (the IAB), the UK trade association, has developed with Members a set of principles on the use of data to provide online behavioural advertising (OBA) to safeguard individual privacy. They are public commitments of good practice made by the signatory Members to users.
	They are based on three core principles—notice about data collection, user choice as to whether to participate and education about behavioural advertising and its benefits—with the goal of building trust and understanding in OBA and enhancing users' ability to control the use of information for these purposes.
	The principles address a broader scope than required under existing law, by covering the use of all information used for OBA, both anonymous information and personal data (in the United Kingdom, the latter is primarily addressed by the Data Protection Act 1998, as amended, and the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003). They also consider where special care is needed for certain categories of data, such as personally identifiable information or sensitive data.
	Signatories of the Good Practice Principles include Google and Phorm.

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he plans to reply to the letter of 11 November 2008 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Ms Safia Sher Wali Mamakhel.

Alan Johnson: My right hon. Friend the former Home Secretary (Jacqui Smith), wrote to the right hon. Member on 19 January 2009.

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he plans to reply to the letter of 12 February 2009 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton, with regard to Mr. A Ur Rehman.

Alan Johnson: My right hon. Friend the former Home Secretary (Jacqui Smith) wrote to the right hon. Member on 6 April 2009.

Members: Correspondence

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he plans to reply to the letter of 21 April 2009 from the hon. Member for Billericay on his constituents Mr and Mrs Adedoyin (case reference M9615/9).

Phil Woolas: holding answer 3 June 2009
	The UK Border Agency replied to the hon. Member on 3 June 2009.

Parliamentary Questions: Government Responses

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  when he plans to provide a substitution answer to question 265844, on European arrest warrants and prison escapes, tabled on 18 March 2009 for answer on 24 March;
	(2)  when he plans to provide a substitution answer to question 265788, on European arrest warrants, tabled on 18 March 2009 for answer on 24 March.

Alan Johnson: holding answer 21 April 2009
	I replied to the hon. Member on 9 June 2009,  Official Report, column 814W.

Parliamentary Questions: Government Responses

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  when he plans to provide a substitution answer to question 265789, on European arrest warrants, tabled on 18 March 2009 for answer on 24 March;
	(2)  when he plans to provide a substitution answer to question 265787, on European arrest warrants and convictions, tabled on 18 March 2009 for answer on 24 March.

Alan Johnson: holding answer 21 April 2009
	I replied to the hon. Member on 9 June 2009,  Official Report, column 815W.

Parliamentary Questions: Government Responses

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he plans to answer Question 270715 tabled on 20 April 2009, on the hon. Member for Ashford; and if he will make a statement.

David Hanson: My hon. Friend, the previous Minister for Policing, Crime and Security (Vernon Coaker), replied to the hon. Member on 8 June 2009,  Official Report, column 713W.

Passports

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many new passport applications his Department has  (a) received and  (b) refused in the last 12 months.

Phil Woolas: The following table shows total intake and volumes of applications that were failed on nationality grounds and volumes that were withdrawn from the application process for other reasons.
	
		
			   Intake  Failed  Withdrawn  Total 
			 June 2008 588,697 593 2,042 2,635 
			 July 2008 544,341 494 1,964 2,458 
			 August 2008 363,529 460 1,678 2,138 
			 September 2008 337,024 502 1,934 2,436 
			 October 2008 292,713 469 1,716 2,185 
			 November 2008 249,265 400 1,550 1,950 
			 December 2008 187,357 312 1,271 1,583 
			 January 2009 426,357 361 1,421 1,782 
			 February 2009 458,970 410 1,166 1,576 
			 March 2009 579,526 526 1,288 1,814 
			 April 2009 537,777 481 1,210 1,691 
			 May 2009 537,753 444 1,219 1,663 
			 Total 5,103,309 5,452 18,459 23,911

Police Reform Act 2002

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what files his Department holds on Part 2 of the Police Reform Act 2002; and if he will make a statement.

David Hanson: The Home Office holds a range of papers relating to the provisions in part 2 of the Police reform Act 2002 establishing a new system for handling complaints against the police.

Police: Procurement

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 12 May 2009,  Official Report, column 669W, on police: procurement, what the findings were of the review of police service spending on goods and services; and whether he plans to publish the review.

Alan Johnson: The Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) Procurement Portfolio Group, on behalf of the 43 police forces in England and Wales, have now agreed that during 2009-10 the National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA) will co-ordinate, facilitate and deliver a national approach to managing the top 10 categories of goods and services and top 10 suppliers identified as highest spend. Savings from employing this national approach will be realised within police force budgets over a two-year rolling programme.
	Due to the sensitive commercial nature of data relating to expenditure with suppliers and the fact that negotiations are currently in progress, the financial content of the review cannot be made publicly available at this time. Each police force will make the decision together with their own police authority as to whether their own savings are made publicly available either by police force or by region.

Serious Organised Crime Agency

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to the Serious and Organised Crime Agency Annual Report 2008-09, what the offences were for which the 266 convictions were secured by the Serious and Organised Crime Agency in 2008-09.

Alan Johnson: The 266 UK convictions referred to in the Serious Organised Crime Agency's annual report occurred as a result of operations as follows:
	
		
			   Number of UK convictions 
			 Criminals and their businesses (criminal finances and profits) 25 
			 Drugs 197 
			 Organised Immigration Crime 15 
			 Fraud 20 
			 Cross-cutting (firearms, UK Borders, other threats) 9

Serious Organised Crime Agency: Manpower

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people are employed in the E-Crime Unit of the Serious and Organised Crime Agency.

Alan Johnson: At 1 June 2009, 40 staff were employed in SOCA's e-crime department, with other staff employed by Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre working on offences of alleged child abuse where technology may be a factor.

Serious Organised Crime Agency: Manpower

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many full-time equivalent staff were directly employed by the Serious and Organised Crime Agency on 31 March  (a) 2007,  (b) 2008 and  (c) 2009.

Alan Johnson: The number of full-time equivalent staff (budgeted) employed by the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) which includes seconded officers was as follows:
	
		
			  As at 31 March each year  Full-time equivalent staff 
			 2007 4040.92 
			 2008 3973.45 
			 2009 3997.41

Serious Organised Crime Agency: Resignations

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many members of staff resigned from the Serious and Organised Crime Agency in each of the last four quarters.

Alan Johnson: The numbers of staff resigning from the Serious Organised Crime Agency in the last four quarters was as follows:
	First quarter 2008-09: 75
	Second quarter 2008-09: 52
	Third quarter 2008-09: 38
	Fourth quarter 2008-09: 38

Terrorism

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which groups have been identified by the National Extremism Tactical Co-ordination Unit as domestic extremist campaigns or threats.

Alan Johnson: NETCU (the National Extremism Tactical Coordination Unit) has a long history of supporting the police service in England and Wales to facilitate lawful and peaceful public protest. Only a very small number of individuals are prepared to use criminality and disorder in the belief that it will further their cause, whether that cause is aligned to a campaign group or not. The police do not publicly announce the identity of individuals who they regard as a threat or an operational priority as this would be likely to compromise police operations and investigations.

Terrorism

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 7 May 2009,  Official Report, column 373W, on terrorism, whether counter-terrorism security advisers maintain a record of the names and contact details of those that have received project Argus training.

Alan Johnson: Delegates at each event are invited to complete feedback forms which request them to provide their names and other contact details. This information may be used to undertake necessary follow-up action on protective security and to improve future Argus events. However, in general, police counter-terrorism security advisers maintain records on a long-term basis only of the names of the businesses (not persons) attending project Argus events.

UK Border Agency: Correspondence

David Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the UK Border Agency plans to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Walsall North of 29 April 2009 on a constituent, references M1100646 and B14708/9.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 8 June 2009
	The UK Border Agency wrote to the hon. Member on 28 May 2009.

UK Border Agency: Manpower

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many airport liaison officers are employed by the UK Border Agency; and what their average annual salary is.

Phil Woolas: The available data are set out in the following table:
	
		
			  Airport liaison officer function( 1) 
			  Grade( 2)  Head count  Annualised national pay amount (£)( 3) 
			 CIO Chief Immigration Officer 48 30,403 
			 HM Inspector of Immigration 6 35,774 
			 Immigration Officer 27 24,014 
			 Average overall 87 28,620 
			 (1) Information is only available, at this level, on employees presently held on the central UK Border Agency computerised personnel system ADELPHI. (2) Other grades comprising less than five members of staff have been excluded. (3) National pay excluding allowances. Average annualised figure based on actual May 2009 pay. 
		
	
	Airport liaison officer is not a specific UK Border Agency grade but a function. 87 individuals are presently employed by the Risk and Liaison Overseas Network which is the unit responsible for this function, in the above grades.
	Any other UK Border Agency employees still held on loan to Foreign and Commonwealth Office, or other FCO-managed staff who became part of UK Border Force in the machinery of Government changes cannot be differentiated by function except at disproportionate cost.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Change AGEnts

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if her Department will provide funding for the new organisation Change AGEnts for its work on behalf of older people.

Angela Eagle: I can confirm that the Department has offered funding to Change AGEnts. Details for ensuring a one-off payment to Change Agents GB Limited for the purpose of developing and promoting the engagement of older people with Government at all levels, are currently being finalised.

Children: Maintenance

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when she expects all child maintenance cases to have been transferred to the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission.

Jonathan R Shaw: holding answer 8 June 2009
	The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have therefore asked the Child Maintenance Commissioner to write to the right hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions by what date he expects all child maintenance cases to have been transferred to the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission.
	The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission took responsibility for the Child Support Agency from 1 November 2008. The CSA continues to operate and improve performance of the current statuary schemes on behalf of the Commission.
	The Commission plans to introduce the new statutory maintenance scheme set out in the Child Maintenance and other Payments Act 2008, in 2011. At that time existing clients of the CSA will, if they choose to, be supported through an application to this new scheme. The Commission expects the transition process to take around 3 years after which both CSA Schemes will close.
	I hope you find this answer helpful.

Council Tax Benefits: Scotland

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people are in receipt of council tax benefit in each constituency in Scotland.

Jonathan R Shaw: Housing benefit, including council tax benefit, information is not available at constituency level.

Demos

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether her Department has any contracts with the think-tank Demos.

Jonathan R Shaw: DWP has no contracts with the think-tank Demos.

Departmental Billing

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of invoices her Department and its agencies paid within 10 days of receipt in each of the last 12 months; and if she will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: Data on the number and proportion of invoices paid within 10 days have been recorded since November 2008. The percentage and number of invoices paid by the Department for Work and Pensions within 10 days of receipt in each of the last seven months is shown in the following table.
	
		
			   Percentage of all invoices paid  within 10 days  Number of invoices paid within 10 days 
			 November 2008 70 44,457 
			 December 2008 64 45,505 
			 January 2009 73 43,915 
			 February 2009 86 58,281 
			 March 2009 92 61,768 
			 April 2009 94 46,657 
			 May 2009 96 48,367

Departmental Responsibilities

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many programmes centres her Department had in each of the last 10 years for which information is available;
	(2)  how many programme centres have reported capacity problems to her Department in the last six months.

Jim Knight: The information requested is not available in full; the following table shows what is available.
	
		
			   Number of programme centres 
			 2008-09 78 
			 2007-08 118 
			 2006-07 118 
		
	
	There have been no capacity issues reported by a programme centre in the last six months.
	Any short-term capacity issues raised by programme centres are immediately dealt with by Contract Managers and Jobcentre Plus locally.

Departmental Reviews

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if she will place in the Library a copy of the independent review of Star Rating carried out for her Department by ATOS Consulting.

Jonathan R Shaw: holding answer 1 June 2009
	An independent review of the Department's prototype Star Rating model was commissioned by the Department and undertaken by Atos Consulting. I have arranged for a copy of Atos Consulting's report to be placed in the Library.

Employment Schemes: Greater Manchester

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many unemployed people aged over 50 years have been assisted back to work by her Department in  (a) Denton and Reddish constituency,  (b) Stockport metropolitan borough and  (c) Tameside metropolitan borough in each year since 1997.

Jim Knight: Information on the number of people aged 50 and over in the specified areas who have been helped into work through all sources is not available. Information on the number of people aged 50 and over who have been helped into work though the New Deal 50 plus programme is in the table.
	
		
			  New Deal 50 Plus 
			  Location  Employment credit starts to March 2003  Number of people gaining a job from April 2003  Total job gains 
			 Denton and Reddish constituency 170 110 280 
			 Stockport metropolitan borough 390 210 600 
			 Tameside metropolitan borough 340 260 600 
			  Notes:  1. New Deal 50 plus was introduced in April 2000.  2. Available statistics on the New Deal 50+ programme prior to March 2003 comprised the number of people receiving the New Deal 50+ employment credit; an employment credit is paid to individuals during their first year back at work on a full-time basis.  3. Latest data are to August 2008.  4. Jobs gained from April 2006 are identified mainly from the Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study. Care should be taken when comparing jobs gained before and after April 2006.  5. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10 and therefore may not sum to total due to rounding.   Source:  Department for Work and Pensions Information Directorate.

Future Jobs Fund

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much of the money assigned to the Future Jobs Fund in Budget 2009 is classified as  (a) Jobcentre Plus and  (b) employment programme spending for the purpose of his Department's three-year business plan.

Jim Knight: holding answer 8 June 2009
	In the Department's three-year plan, £1.1 billion is assigned to the Future Jobs Fund. Of this, £20 million is allocated to Jobcentre Plus and £1.08 billion is allocated to the employment programmes.

Incapacity Benefit

Richard Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in  (a) the East of England and  (b) Suffolk claiming incapacity benefits had drug or drink dependency listed as their primary medical condition in each of the last five years.

Jonathan R Shaw: Causes of incapacity are based on the International Classification of Diseases, 10(th) Revision, published by the World Health Organisation. To qualify for incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance, claimants have to undertake a medical assessment of incapacity for work which is called the Personal Capability Assessment. Therefore, the medical condition recorded on the incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance claim form does not itself confer entitlement to incapacity benefits. For example, the decision for a customer claiming incapacity benefit on the grounds of alcohol and/or drug related conditions would be based on their ability to carry out the range of activities in the Personal Capability Assessment.
	The available information is in the following table.
	
		
			  The number of incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance claimants who have alcoholism or drug abuse recorded as their main disabling condition 
			   Suffolk  East of England 
			  As at August each year  All  Alcoholism  Drug abuse  All  Alcoholism  Drug abuse 
			 2004 21,370 180 190 180,870 2,110 2,470 
			 2005 21,380 200 200 180,250 2,170 2,560 
			 2006 21,280 220 200 178,890 2,280 2,590 
			 2007 21,420 240 240 180,620 2,450 2,710 
			 2008 21,440 260 290 181,040 2,610 2,870 
			  Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Data for Suffolk refer to the county of Suffolk.  Source: Department for Work and Pensions Information Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study

Incapacity Benefit

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many new claims for incapacity benefit have been made in each year since 1997; and what the average time taken between the date of a first claim for incapacity benefit and the date of first payment of that benefit has been in each such year.

Jonathan R Shaw: holding answer 8 June 2009
	The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the acting chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Mel Groves. I have asked him to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Mel Groves:
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking how many new claims for Incapacity Benefit have been made in each year since 1997; and what the average time taken between the date of a first claim for Incapacity Benefit and the date of first payment of that benefit has been in each year since 1997. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Acting Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	Please find attached at Annex 1 the number of Incapacity Benefit new claims made in each year since 2003. This is the date from which records are held. We do not hold management information relating to the period between the date of claim and payment. However, Jobcentre Plus's Average Actual Clearance Time (AACT) Target measures the average number of working days taken to process a claim for Incapacity Benefit. Incapacity Benefit AACT is calculated from the date a properly completed claim form is received by Jobcentre Plus to the date a decision is made. This information is also provided at Annex 1.
	
		
			  Annex A: Average actual clearance times (AACT) for incapacity benefit claims 
			Number of days 
			   Incapacity benefit claims received  Incapacity benefit AACT  Target 
			 2003-04 777,455 16.0 22 
			 2004-05 730,590 17.0 22 
			 2005-06 671,385 16.3 19 
			 2006-07 692,802 15.9 18 
			 2007-08 676,715 13.1 18 
			 2008-09 481,076 13.3 15

Industrial Accidents

David Heath: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on how many occasions since 1999 court proceedings as a consequence of a prosecution by the Health and Safety Executive relating to a work-related death were not concluded within  (a) five and  (b) three years following the incident.

Jonathan R Shaw: The Health and Safety Executive have taken and concluded 836 prosecutions as a result of 665 work-related deaths that occurred between 1 April 1999 and 31 March 2008.
	635 prosecutions were concluded within three years of the incident date of the work-related death.
	176 prosecutions were not concluded within three years of the incident date of the work-related death.
	25 prosecutions were not concluded within five years of the incident date of the work-related death.
	A further 78 prosecutions following work-related deaths were taken and concluded in the period from 1 April 1999 to 31 March 2008, but these prosecution records do not identify the dates of the fatal incidents concerned. The time taken to complete these prosecutions can therefore not be readily determined.

Industrial Accidents

David Heath: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many work-related deaths since 1999 have resulted in prosecutions by the Health and Safety Executive.

Jonathan R Shaw: The Health and Safety Executive have taken prosecutions as a result of 665 work-related deaths that occurred between 1 April 1999 and 31 March 2008.
	The above number of deaths, which have resulted in a prosecution, is likely to increase because investigation and enforcement activity on some more recent deaths has not yet concluded.
	A further 78 prosecutions following work related deaths were taken and concluded in the period from 1 April 1999 to 31 March 2008, but these prosecution records do not identify the dates of the fatal incidents concerned. Some of these may therefore have occurred before the 1 April 1999.

Jobcentre Plus

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  if she will place in the Library a copy of the Jobcentre Plus National Workload Projection update from Quarter  (a) one and  (b) two 2009;
	(2)  if she will place in the Library a copy of each Jobcentre Plus National Workload Projection update used as assumptions for the Budget 2009.

Jim Knight: holding answer 19 May 2009
	Available information has been placed in the Library.
	Only the quarter one 2009 national workload projection update is available.
	The Jobcentre Plus National Workload Projection update used as assumptions for the Budget 2009 is informing the flexible new deal bids and is commercially sensitive.

Jobcentre Plus: Civil Proceedings

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 2 March 2009,  Official Report, column 1302W, on Jobcentre Plus: civil proceedings, how many times legal action has been taken against  (a) Jobcentre Plus and  (b) individual Jobcentre staff in each region since 2002; on what basis such action was taken in respect of each case in which legal proceedings have been concluded; and what estimate she has made of the cost to her Department of such action.

Tony McNulty: The information requested is not collated centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Jobcentre Plus: Manpower

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what her most recent estimate is of the number of permanent Jobcentre Plus staff who  (a) are classified as without a permanent post and  (b) have been classified as without a permanent post for more than 12 months.

Jim Knight: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the acting chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Mel Groves. I have asked him to provide the right hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Mel Groves:
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking for a recent estimate of the number of permanent Jobcentre Plus staff who a) are classified as without a permanent post and b) have been classified as without a permanent post for more than 12 months. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Acting Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	In Jobcentre Plus, anyone who is formally recognised as not having a sustainable posting is classified as surplus. This provides such individuals with priority status when seeking a permanent post in Jobcentre Plus or elsewhere in Whitehall. As at April 2009, there were 155 surplus staff in Jobcentre Plus. Of that number, 81 people have been surplus for more than 12 months.
	Naturally, in a large customer service organisation structural change is often required in order to meet changing customer needs. Of the 155 cases we are reporting, 125 are Band As. The Band A position was subject to structural change in parts of the Jobcentre Plus operation during 2007/08 and resulted in 550 Band As being declared surplus. We have been successful in reducing that number to the current level. Surplus staff are actively engaged in delivering a range of Jobcentre Plus projects and duties while seeking a new permanent position.
	Line managers are responsible for supporting individuals who are declared surplus. We manage such impacts of workforce reductions on our people, through a framework agreed with our Trade Unions and these are operated within a set of Cabinet Office protocols that apply across the Civil Service. These require us to take all reasonable steps to minimise compulsory redundancies. To date no members of staff have been made redundant against their will.

Jobseeker's Allowance

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the percentage change in the number of people claiming jobseeker's allowance in each local authority area in England and Wales was over the last 12 months.

Jim Knight: The information requested has been placed in the Library.

Local Housing Allowance

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the reason was for the decision in Budget 2009 not to pay tenants the local housing allowance rate when their actual rent is less.

Jonathan R Shaw: The Government are committed to help people keep a decent roof over their heads but cannot afford in the current climate to pay people more than they need to do that. In the interests of fairness our priority is to target benefits where they are needed most. The removal of the £15 excess will mean that some people will receive less benefit but, importantly, this should not affect their ability to meet their rent.

Local Housing Allowance

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate has been made of the number of landlords who have not accepted potential tenants who are on local housing allowance housing benefit on the grounds that the benefit is not paid directly to the landlord.

Jonathan R Shaw: This information is not available.

New Deal Schemes

Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much was spent on benefits for New Deal participants in the latest year for which figures are available.

Jim Knight: The information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

New Deal Schemes

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether participants who have not finished their existing New Deal programme by the end of September 2009 will be referred to the flexible New Deal in those areas covered by phase 1 Flexible New Deal contracts.

Tony McNulty: In the 28 districts where Flexible New Deal is due to start from October 2009, DWP has agreed contractual changes with New Deal providers, including those in private sector-led New Deal areas and Employment Zones, to ensure that customers who are referred after April 2009 will be able to complete their provision by the end of September 2009.
	Where it has not been possible for a jobseeker to complete existing New Deal provision by September 2009, provided there is no break in their Jobseeker's Allowance claim, the customer will enter the supported job-search stage of the new Jobseekers Regime to receive additional support from Jobcentre Plus personal advisers. The supported job-search stage usually lasts for six months, although in this instance the time spent with an existing New Deal provider would be taken into account. Should the jobseeker remain unemployed after the supported job-search stage, they will be referred to the Flexible New Deal for up to 12 months of specialist, individually-tailored support.

New Deal Schemes

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what assessment she has made of the effect on the New Deal programme of the time taken to announce the preferred bidders for Flexible New Deal contracts; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  how many preferred bidders for Phase 1 Flexible New Deal contracts had been notified of the fact as at  (a) 27 April,  (b) 4 May,  (c) 11 May and  (d) 18 May 2009; and when she expects to notify the remaining preferred bidders.

Jim Knight: holding answer 1 June 2009
	Jobcentre Plus introduced the refreshed Jobseekers Regime and a range of additional support measures for jobseekers from 6 April 2009. The New Deal contracts take account of these changes, with referrals continuing until the end of June 2009, thereby enabling providers to support customers until the end of September, with the Flexible New Deal contracts due to start in October 2009.
	Between July and September, any customer who has received jobseeker's allowance for six months will have access to additional support and enter the supported Job Search stage of the refreshed regime, with referral to the Flexible New Deal provider six months later if they remain in receipt of jobseeker's allowance.
	Preferred bidders were notified of results of the Flexible New Deal competition on 29 May and we expect to award contracts in good time to begin delivery in October 2009.

Parliamentary Questions: Government Responses

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when she plans to answer Question 271324, tabled on 22 April 2009, on 0845 telephone numbers.

Jonathan R Shaw: holding answer 15 May 2009
	The hon. Member's question was answered on 4 June 2009.  Official Report, columns 621-22W.

Parliamentary Questions: Government Responses

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answers of  (a) 20 April 2009,  Official Report, column 117W, on incapacity benefit: voluntary work and  (b) 5 May 2009, Offic ial Report, column 124W, on pathways to work, what the reasons were for the time taken to respond in each case; and if she will make a statement.

Jim Knight: We need to ensure that answers given to Parliament are accurate and robust, and we endeavour to answer all questions as quickly as possible. I would like to apologise to my hon. Friend for the delay in answering her questions in these instances.

Social Fund

Brian H Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what guidance Social Fund administrators offer to potential recipients of assistance from the fund on other potential sources of assistance.

Jonathan R Shaw: Social Fund administrators do not routinely refer customers to other potential sources of assistance. In October 2008 Jobcentre Plus introduced a policy to signpost those customers who were not eligible to receive support from the Social Fund to money advice. Having been successfully piloted in a number of areas, the initiative is being implemented nationally this year.

Social Security Benefits

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps she takes to ensure that the typical characteristics of benefit claimants are portrayed accurately in official publications and statements.

Jonathan R Shaw: In addition to information gathered as part of our ongoing contacts with our customers, DWP already carries out extensive research and testing exercises to ensure that our customers and their needs are fully understood, and to make sure that they are portrayed accurately and sensitively in our communications.

Vocational Training

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what recent steps have been taken to assist young people in finding work;
	(2)  what recent steps have been taken to assist older people in finding work.

Jim Knight: The Budget has made an additional £2.8 billion available to DWP, on top of the £1.3 billion announced in the pre-Budget report, which will ensure that over the next two years we can continue to expand our support to jobseekers through the economic downturn. Among other initiatives, this extra funding will enable us to guarantee a job or other meaningful activity to young people and certain disadvantaged groups from the 12-month point of their claim.
	In addition, we are investing £0.5 billion over two years to support all jobseekers through an expanded range of work and training options to provide jobs through recruitment subsidies, support to start a business, work-related training and volunteering opportunities. This extra help was introduced on 6 April and is available to all those who have been out of work and claiming jobseeker's allowance for six months or more.
	The introduction of the Flexible New Deal in phase one areas from October will establish a new, unified approach for longer-term jobseekers, whatever their age, skills or barriers to work. The Flexible New Deal will deliver work-focused support, tailored to each individual's needs and local labour market requirements.

Welfare to Work: Standards

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if she will place in the Library a copy of each edition of her Department's monthly report summarising the performance of all welfare-to-work providers against agreed targets.

Jim Knight: A copy of the most recent report, which includes the cumulative performance of contracted provision up to the end of February 2009, has been placed in the Library as requested.
	The DWP is developing plans to make this information available on a monthly basis from later in 2009 via the DWP website.

Written Questions: Government Responses

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when she plans to answer Question 274722, tabled on 12 May 2009, on child maintenance arrears.

Jonathan R Shaw: holding answer 4 June 2009
	I replied to the hon. Member's question on 3 June 2009,  Official Report, columns 535-36W.

PRIME MINISTER

Departmental Responsibilities

Paul Burstow: To ask the Prime Minister if he will estimate the cost to the public purse of the recent  (a) Ministerial reshuffle and  (b) changes to the machinery of government; and if he will make a statement.

Gordon Brown: The numbers of salaried Ministers is governed by the Ministerial and Other Salaries Act 1975. The cost of machinery of government changes will be met by relevant Departments within existing departmental budgets.

Intelligence Services: Publications

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Prime Minister pursuant to the answer of 11 May 2009,  Official Report, column 495W, on intelligence services: publication, what facilities the security and intelligence agencies are authorised to afford to persons undertaking research for publications which are not official publications; at what level, and in what circumstances, members of the security and intelligence services are authorised to grant  (a) interviews and  (b) other assistance to such persons; and if he will make a statement.

Gordon Brown: Arrangements governing the release of information into the public domain by the security and intelligence services are in accordance with the requirements of the Security Service Act 1989 and the Intelligence Services Act 1994. Copies are available in the Libraries of the House.

Prime Minister: Official Engagements

Robert Smith: To ask the Prime Minister what his engagements were between 3pm and 8pm on Wednesday 10 June.

Gordon Brown: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for South-West Bedfordshire (Andrew Selous) at Prime Minister's questions on 10 June 2009,  Official Report, column 784W.

World War II: Anniversaries

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Prime Minister 
	(1)  what representations he has made to the French authorities on the representatives of the UK Government to be invited to the 65th anniversary commemorations of D-Day and the Normandy Campaign; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what representations the Government received on the level of official representation of the UK at the 65th anniversary commemoration of D-Day and the Normandy Campaign organised by the French government; when such representations were received; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  on what date the Government was first invited to send representatives to the 65th anniversary commemorations of D-Day and the Normandy Campaign organised by the French authorities; and what response was made;
	(4)  on what date the Government was first informed by the French authorities of the proposed programme of events to commemorate the 65th anniversary of D-Day and the Normandy Campaign.

Gordon Brown: I attended the 65th anniversary of the D-Day celebrations on 6 June, including a memorial service at Bayeux cathedral, and a ceremony with President Sarkozy, President Obama and Prime Minister Harper at the Colleville cemetery overlooking Omaha Beach. Prince Charles attended on behalf of the royal family. The palace have made clear that they were content with these arrangements.

TREASURY

Child Trust Fund: Cleethorpes

Shona McIsaac: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many child trust fund vouchers have been issued to residents of Cleethorpes constituency in each year since their introduction; and how many accounts have been opened as a result.

Ian Pearson: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) latest available estimates are that 940 child trust fund vouchers were issued in Cleethorpes to children born between 6 April 2006 and 5 April 2007 and that 670 child trust fund accounts were subsequently opened by the parents or guardians of those children. HMRC opens accounts on behalf of children if the parents or guardian do not.
	HMRC does not hold constituency level data for previous years.

Data Protection

James Brokenshire: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many notifications his Department made to the Information Commissioner in the year ended 30 April 2009 in respect of the loss or mishandling of personal information or data; what was notified in each such case; and how many individuals were the subjects of personal information or data in respect of which such notifications were made.

Kitty Ussher: The Treasury reported no cases of loss or mishandling of personal information or data to the Information Commissioner during the year ended 30 April 2009.

Demos

Tom Watson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what  (a) private meetings and  (b) public engagements Ministers in his Department have attended at which representatives from the think-tank Demos were present in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Kitty Ussher: Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such meetings.

Departmental Training

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much his Department spent on health and safety training for its staff in each of the last two years.

Kitty Ussher: Estimated external expenditure on health and safety training was £36,500 in 2007-08 and £40,000 in 2008-09. Other information and training for officials is provided by our in-house health and safety team and costs cannot be identified separately from their other duties.

Members: Correspondence

Michael Spicer: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  when he plans to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for West Worcestershire of 12 May 2009 on National Savings, PO reference: 1/72186/2009;
	(2)  when he plans to reply to the email from the hon. Member for West Worcestershire of 7 May 2009 on interest rate reductions, PO reference: 1/71848/2009.

Ian Pearson: I have replied to the hon. Member.

Public Expenditure

Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 11 May 2009,  Official Report, column 539W, on public expenditure, if he will publish the forthcoming factual paper on the Barnett Formula before the summer adjournment.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 12 June 2009
	 No decision has yet been made regarding the publication date of the factual paper on the Barnett Formula.

Tax Avoidance

Terry Rooney: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many investigations concerning IR35 were launched in each of the last five years; and how many of them resulted in  (a) prosecution,  (b) an increase in tax due and  (c) no further action.

Kitty Ussher: The intermediaries legislation, commonly known as "IR35", was introduced with effect from 6 April 2000 to counter the avoidance of employed levels of tax and national insurance by individuals providing their services through intermediaries.
	Disclosure of HM Revenue and Customs' compliance data relating to the legislation would result in a risk of non-compliance with the legislation. Accordingly I am not able to provide the data requested.

Taxation

Mark Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his most recent assessment is of the application of the Rees Rules on the introduction of retrospective legislation in light of HM Revenue and Customs' announcement of 1 April 2009 on employment loss planning; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: The Rees Rules continue to provide a useful guide when Ministers consider retrospective legislation and were considered in connection with the announcement I made on 1 April 2009.

Taxation: Business

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the cost to the Exchequer of granting 100 per cent. capital allowances to all business enterprises.

Stephen Timms: The Annual Investment Allowance provides 100 per cent. relief on capital expenditure on all plant and machinery (apart from cars) up to £50,000 a year, covering the capital expenditure of nearly 95 per cent. of UK businesses at a cost of £1.56 billion in 2008-09.
	It would cost the Exchequer an estimated additional £5 billion in 2009-10 to provide 100 per cent. relief for all new capital expenditure on all plant and machinery (apart from cars).

Taxation: Gaming Machines

Malcolm Moss: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the compatibility of the introduction of a gross profit tax to replace amusement machine licence duty with the Hampton principles of better regulation; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what regulatory impact assessment he plans to publish as part of the consultation on the introduction of a gross profit tax to replace amusement machine licence duty.

Kitty Ussher: An impact assessment, including an assessment of compatibility with Hampton principles, will be published alongside the consultation document on moving gaming machines taxation to a gross profits regime. We expect to publish these before the summer recess.

Taxation: Housing

Grant Shapps: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  whether each of the banks in which the Government has a shareholding makes it their policy to offer mortgages to buyers seeking to participate in shared  (a) equity and  (b) ownership schemes;
	(2)  which of the banks in which the Government owns a shareholding offer mortgages for purchases of properties under shared ownership schemes.

Ian Pearson: Decisions concerning whether to engage in lending to support shared equity of shared ownership remain commercial decisions for firms. Where there is public sector investment in banks these stakes are managed on an arm's length and independent basis by UK Financial Investments Ltd.
	The Government remain committed to the delivery of affordable housing, including through both shared equity and shared ownership schemes. The Homebuy Direct scheme, introduced in 2008, offers households equity loans of up to 30 per cent. of market value, and co-funded by Government and developers, to buy a new build property.
	At present Homebuy Direct is supported by a number of banks in which the Government have made investments, including Halifax (as part of Lloyds Banking Group), and RBS. Northern Rock is discussing participation with the HCA.

Valuation Office: Training

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what external training courses Valuation Office Agency officials have undertaken in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Stephen Timms: Valuation Office Agency staff have attended the following centrally recorded external training events. Provider names are included for completeness. Details of attendance at local events run by professional partner bodies are not recorded centrally. The events listed represent a total of approximately 200 training days.
	
		
			   Provider 
			 Mediation Event Conflict Management Plus 
			 Accessibility for e-Learning Bizmedia Ltd. 
			 Accreditation Scheme for Commercial Building Energy Assessors Building Research Establishment Ltd. 
			 Accreditation Scheme for Display Energy Certificates Building Research Establishment Ltd. 
			 Affordable Housing Delivery London Development Events 
			 Agricultural Landlord and Tenant Harper Adams University College 
			 Agricultural Law 2009 Lexis Nexis (aka Butterworths) 
			 Assertiveness Course Impact Factory 
			 Basic Book-keeping and Accounts course Haysden Training Ltd. 
			 Building Cost Effective ERDM Strategies Ark Group 
			 Business Disturbance Claims Seminar Contact Property Training Ltd. 
			 Business Tenancies and Commercial Property Management CPT Events 
			 City of London: Beyond the Credit Crunch CMPI Limited 
			 Coaching Sessions Active Learning Partnership Limited 
			 Collaborative Approaches to Resolving Complex Challenges WIG 
			 Creating Accessible PDF's PWS Ltd. 
			 Domestic Energy Assessor BRE 
			 Dragon Naturally Speaking Software Training E-Voice Speech Recognition Ltd. 
			 ERM Practitioner Training Class AIIM International 
			 Essential Commercialisation Skills Course Kaplan Financial Ltd. 
			 Expert Witness Bond Solon Training 
			 Expert Witness and Advocacy Roadshow RICS 
			 Fundamentals of Governance Quorum Training 
			 Fundamentals of Marketing for Public Sector and Not for Profit CIM Holdings Ltd. 
			 Future Housing Govnet Communications 
			 Illustrator CSS Masterclass Academy Class Ltd. 
			 Introduction to Business Analysis Learning Tree International 
			 Lead On Masterclass Cazbah Limited 
			 Lean in Local Government Workshop Ad Esse 
			 Learning Design and Web 2.0 British Institute for Learning 
			 Lease Matters Contract Property Services 
			 Leasehold Update Seminar 2008 Jordan Publishing Limited 
			 Level 4 Diploma in Non Domestic Energy Assessment Building Research Establishment Ltd. 
			 Major Developments in Southampton RICS 
			 Making a Case for e-Learning The e-Learning Network 
			 PCPF Seminar Primary Care Premises Forum 
			 Presenting with Impact Leadership Skills Training Ltd. 
			 Presenting Yourself—for Top Women Managers Solace Enterprises Limited 
			 PRINCE2 Practitioner Course Focus on Training 
			 Principles Project Management WPM Training Ltd. 
			 Programme and Project Support Office—PSOI National School of Government 
			 Project Management Essentials—PMIN National School of Government 
			 RICS Expert Witness and Advocacy Roadshow RICS 
			 RICS Public Sector Asset Management Roadshow RICS 
			 RICS Red Book Workshop RICS 
			 RICS Rural Mid Session RICS 
			 RICS Telelcoms Forum Annual RICS 
			 RICS Valuers' Roadshow RICS 
			 RICS Wales Housing Briefing RICS 
			 SAS Essentials—Introduction to SAS Programming SAS UK 
			 Selling to Local Government Roadshow BIP Solutions Ltd. 
			 Senior Leaders Programme Whitehall and Industry Group 
			 Sharpen your Writing Skills Henshall Centre Ltd. 
			 Situational Leadership Accreditation (Day 3) Leadership Development—Situation Solutions 
			 SPA Core and Quarry Renewal Trainow Associates 
			 SPA Core and Quarry Safety Passport Course NLT Training Services 
			 SPA Core and Quarry Safety Passport Course GSS Training Ltd. 
			 SQL Processing with SAS (SQL9) SAS UK 
			 Staff Inspection Techniques National School of Government 
			 Supporting the Business with Effective HR Strategy HR Society 
			 Surveyor as Expert Witness RICS 
			 "Surveyors Facing the Expert Witness Challenge" RICS 
			 TACSTALK TACS Talk 
			 The Greenhouse and Reporting on Health and Safety Risks in Homes Contract Property Training Ltd. 
			 Train the Trainer Training and Development Solutions 
			 Tutor Training Programme Suzy Lamplugh Trust 
			 Understanding Change Management Govnet Communications 
			 Understanding Residential and Commercial Property Taxes Contact Property Training (CPT Events) 
			 Viability and Revising s106 requirements London Development Events 
			 Welsh Language Course—Foundation Nant Gwrtheyrn 
			 Welsh Language Course—Intensive (Pilot) Course Nant Gwrtheyrn 
			 Welsh Language Course—Intermediate Nant Gwrtheyrn

Welfare Tax Credits

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will exclude households with an income of over £50,000 from eligibility for tax credits.

Stephen Timms: Nine out of 10 families are entitled to tax credits. This near-universal provision has helped reverse decades of stigma attached to financial support that prevented the very poorest taking up the help they needed. Take-up of tax credits is now the highest ever for an income-related system of financial support, at 81 per cent. overall and 92 per cent. for the poorest fifth of families. Tax credits are carefully targeted so that the greatest support goes to the poorest families. Only a tiny proportion of tax credits spending goes to those earning more than £50,000—just 0.2 per cent. of overall entitlement in 2007-08.

Welfare Tax Credits: Education Maintenance Allowance

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will bring forward proposals to extend entitlement to tax credits to people with children under the age of 25 who receive education maintenance grant on the basis of parental income.

Stephen Timms: The Government do not provide financial support to parents of young people who are taking advanced courses. In these cases, young people are entitled to a separate stream of support. This reflects that the move into work or advanced education is seen as the point at which young people become independent. It is the Government's view that the student support mechanism is the most appropriate way of providing support.

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Climate Change

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of his Department's potential gross  (a) costs and  (b) savings arising from its climate change adaptation measures in the next three years.

Patrick McFadden: It is not currently possible to provide estimates of the potential costs and savings over the next three years. It has, however, been shown in the Stern Review on the Economics of Climate Change that timely and well-targeted climate adaptation measures will yield benefits in excess of their costs. The main rationale for investment to address climate risk will be to reduce the UK's vulnerability to longer-term climate change impacts.
	The Government are undertaking a climate change risk assessment and economic analysis, which will provide estimates of the costs and benefits of adaptation to the UK. This analysis will be presented to Parliament within three years of the Climate Change Act coming into force.

Departmental Air Conditioning

Grant Shapps: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much has been spent by his Department on carrying out inspections of air conditioning systems within departmental buildings in accordance with the Energy Performance of Buildings (Certificates and Inspections) (England and Wales) Regulations 2007 since the Regulations entered into force.

Patrick McFadden: BIS will spend £5,574 on carrying out the inspection of its air conditioning system at its Headquarters building at 1 Victoria Street in accordance with the Energy Performance of Buildings (Certificates and Inspections) (England and Wales) Regulations 2007, this being the only building on its HQ Estate with a rating of over 250kW.

Departmental Buildings

Bob Spink: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much his Department spent on building maintenance in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Patrick McFadden: In the last five financial years, BIS has spent the following on building maintenance on its HQ Estate:
	
		
			  £ million 
			 2004-05 1.47 
			 2005-06 1.28 
			 2006-07 1.75 
			 2007-08 1.70 
			 2008-09 2.10

South West Regional Development Agency

Mark Harper: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the effect of the recession on the  (a) spending plans,  (b) income and  (c) capital receipts of the South West of England Regional Development Agency of the recession.

Patrick McFadden: holding answer 20 April 2009
	RDAs are required to produce spending plans showing how they will use their resources to deliver their priorities. The Department has asked the RDAs to review those plans in the light of changes to their budgets and the changed economic conditions.
	On an ongoing basis BIS monitors the Agencies use of resource budgets including the RDA's projected income for the year and the total value of write downs in relation to the RDA's capital assets.

JUSTICE

Antisocial Behaviour: Fixed Penalties

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 21 April 2009,  Official Report, column 616W, on antisocial behaviour: fixed penalties, how many penalty notices for disorder were issued  (a) in a police station and  (b) on the street in (i) 2002, (ii) 2003, (iii) 2004, (iv) 2005 and (v) 2006.

Jack Straw: Information available to the Ministry of Justice on the number of persons aged 16 and over issued with a penalty notice for disorder (PND) in  (a) a police station and  (b) on the street, in England and Wales, 2004 to 2006 is shown in the following table.
	PNDs were introduced under the Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001 to provide the police with a simple financial punishment to deal with minor antisocial and nuisance offending either at a police station or on the street. Operational guidance to forces issued by the Secretary of State for Justice sets out the criteria which should be considered by officers in deciding where to issue a PND.
	The PND was made available to all forces from April 2004.
	
		
			  N umber of persons aged 16 and over issued with a penalty notice for disorder in a police station and on the street in England and Wales, 2004 to 2006( 1) 
			   Police station  Street 
			 2004(2) 55,219 6,901 
			 2005 110,432 34,845 
			 2006 125,122 75,634 
			 (1) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (2) The penalty notice for disorder scheme commenced in 2004.  Source: OCJR E and A (Office for Criminal Justice Reform, Evidence and Analysis Unit), Ministry of Justice

Crimes of Violence: Young Offenders

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent assessment he has made of the effect of subsection 3 of section 91 of the Powers of Criminal Courts (Sentencing) Act 2000 on custodial sentencing for serious violent crimes committed by those aged under 21 years; and if he will make a statement.

Claire Ward: Custody for young people under 18 is the last resort. Where a person under 18 has committed a very serious offence (generally one for which a person aged 21 years or over could be sentenced to a term of imprisonment of 14 years or more), section 91 of the Powers of Criminal Court (Sentencing) Act 2000 enables the court to impose a term of detention not exceeding the maximum term of imprisonment that a person aged 21 or over could receive for the same offence. Before the court may decide to impose a sentence of detention under section 91, subsection 3 requires it to consider all other possible disposals, including a shorter period of custody under a detention and training order.
	Data provided by the Youth Justice Board indicate that at the end of March 2009 there were 2,036 young people under 18 serving custodial sentences, including 349 serving a sentence imposed under section 91. Of those, 150 had received a section 91 sentence principally for an offence of violence against the person.

Crimes of Violence: Young Offenders

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people aged under 18 years were convicted of  (a) grievous bodily harm and  (b) violent disorder in each year since 2000; and what the average length custodial sentence was in each case.

Claire Ward: The number of persons aged 10 to 17 years who were found guilty at all courts for grievous bodily harm and violent disorder in England and Wales from 2000 to 2007 (latest available) is shown in table 1; with information on the average custodial sentence being in table 2.
	These data are on the principal offence basis. The figures given in the table on court proceedings relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offence for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences, the offence selected is the one for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.
	Court proceedings data for 2008 will be available in the autumn of 2009.
	
		
			  Table 1:  N umber of persons aged 10 to 17 years who were found guilty at all courts for offences relating to grievous bodily harm( 1)  and violent disorder( 2) , in England and Wales , 2000- 07( 3,4) 
			   Found guilty 
			   Grievous bodily harm  Violent disorder 
			 2000(5) 901 173 
			 2001 844 155 
			 2002 904 182 
			 2003 818 194 
			 2004 884 211 
			 2005 831 181 
			 2006 820 143 
			 2007 902 172 
			 (1) Grievous bodily harm includes the following statutes and offence descriptions: Offences against the Person Act 1861 Sec 18. Wounding with intent to do grievous bodily harm. Offences against the Person Act 1861 Sec 29. Causing explosion or casting corrosive fluids with intent to do grievous bodily harm. Offences against the Person Act 1861 Sec 20. Malicious wounding: wounding or inflicting grievous bodily harm. Offences against the Person Act 1861 Sec 20 as amended by Crime & Disorder Act 1998 Sec. 29(l)(a),(2). Racially aggravated malicious wounding or inflicting grievous bodily harm. Offences Against the Person Act 1861 S20 as amended by the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 S29(l)(a) and (2). Religiously aggravated malicious wounding of GBH Offences Against the Person Act 1861 S20 as amended by the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 S29(l)(a) 8i (2). Racially or religiously aggravated malicious wounding or GBH (2) Violent disorder includes the following statute and offence description: Public Order Act 1986 Sec 2. Violent Disorder. (3) The figures given in the table on court proceedings relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is Imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (4) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (5) Staffordshire Police Force were only able to supply a sample of data for magistrates' courts proceedings covering one full week in each quarter for 2000. Estimates based on this sample are included in the figures, as they are considered sufficiently robust at this high level of analysis.  Source: OCJR - E and A: Office for Criminal Justice Reform - Evidence and Analysis Unit, Ministry of Justice 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Average custodial sentence length (months)( 1)  for grievous bodily harm and violent disorder, offenders aged 10 to 17, 2000-07 
			   GBH  Violent disorder 
			 2000 18.0 7.6 
			 2001 17.6 9.1 
			 2002 18.7 9.5 
			 2003 20.5 10.1 
			 2004 21.1 8.8 
			 2005 19.9 8.8 
			 2006 19.7 10.5 
			 2007 20.4 11.1 
			 (1) ACSL excludes life/indeterminate sentences  Source:  OMS Analytical Services, Ministry of Justice. 
		
	
	These figures have been drawn from administrative data systems.
	Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system.

Departmental Billing

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much  (a) his Department and its predecessor and  (b) its agencies paid in interest to suppliers under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 in the last three years for which figures are available.

Maria Eagle: Information for 2008-09 is currently being compiled and audited and will be published in the Ministry's 2008-09 resource accounts which are expected to be laid before Parliament in July 2009.
	The Ministry of Justice and its agencies paid the following interest to suppliers under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 in the last three years for which published data are currently available:
	
		
			  Financial period  £ 
			  2007-08  
			 The Ministry of Justice HQ 28,000 
			 HM Prison Service 198,145 
			 HM Courts Service 44,211 
			 Tribunals Service 0 
			 Office of the Public Guardian 0 
			   
			  2006-07  
			 Department for Constitutional Affairs 29,030 
			 HM Courts Service 43,376 
			 Tribunals Service 2,278 
			 Public Guardianship Office 0 
			   
			  2005-06  
			 Department for Constitutional Affairs (including Tribunals) 16,773 
			 HM Courts Service 24,683 
			 Public Guardianship Office 0 
		
	
	The National Probation Service, which was part of the Ministry of Justice from 2007-08, is not included as information is held locally by 42 local probation boards or trusts and can be collated only at disproportionate cost.
	The Ministry of Justice is fully committed to achieving compliance with the Prime Minister's target of paying suppliers within 10 days and is a signatory to the Prompt Payment Code. During May 2009, the Ministry of Justice and its agencies paid 92 per cent. of invoices received within the 10-day target. This level of performance should ensure that interest to suppliers under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 is greatly reduced for the current financial year.

Departmental Drinking Water

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much his Department has spent on water coolers in each of the last two years.

Jack Straw: The expenditure on water coolers by the Ministry is stated in the following table:
	
		
			   £ 
			  2008-09  
			 Ministry of Justice HQ 1,382 
			 Office of the Public Guardian 6,000 
			 Total 7,382 
			  2007-08 1,364 
			 Ministry of Justice HQ 6,000 
			 Office of the Public Guardian 7,364 
		
	
	HM Courts Service data are not held centrally and can be collated only on a regional basis at disproportionate cost.
	Data on water cooler expenditure by the National Offender Management Service are held locally by prisons and probation boards/trusts and can be collated only at disproportionate cost.
	The accounting records of the Tribunals Service do not allow for the separate identification of expenditure on water coolers except at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Official Hospitality

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much his Department has spent on  (a) conference services and  (b) banqueting services in each of the last three years.

Jack Straw: Expenditure on conference services by the Ministry of Justice, comprising headquarters and executive agencies (the National Offender Management Service (NOMS), Her Majesty's Courts Service, the Tribunals Service and the Office of the Public Guardian), since its inception is as follows:
	
		
			  Financial period  £ 
			 2008-09 5,875,035 
			 2007-08 4,256,611 
		
	
	The amounts above exclude expenditure by the 42 local probation boards and trusts within NOMS as this information is held locally and could be collated only at disproportionate cost.
	The Ministry's predecessor Department, the Department for Constitutional Affairs (DCA), incurred the following expenditure on conference services:
	2006-07: £3,119,893.
	The DCA was a smaller department which did not include the National Offender Management Service or the Office for Criminal Justice Reform which were part of the Home Office prior to 2007-08.
	The growth in expenditure on conferences reflects the increasingly cross-cutting nature of government policy. Conferences represent an effective mechanism for bringing together stakeholders in the Government, private and voluntary sectors to promote a joined up approach to the delivery of front-line services.
	Bookings for conferences and related expenditure must be made through designated contractors employed by the Ministry of Justice to identify venues and accommodation that offers best value for money.
	The Ministry of Justice and the Department for Constitutional Affairs have no record of any expenditure on banqueting services in the last three years.

National Offender Management Service: Training

Neil Gerrard: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what training is provided for first line managers in the National Offender Management Service;
	(2)  how many first line managers in the National Offender Management Service have been offered appropriate training; and how many and what proportion of first line managers in the National Offender Management Service have undertaken this training;
	(3)  what plans for further training the National Offender Management Service has for first line management.

Maria Eagle: National Offender Management Service (NOMS) probation leadership and management development at first line manager level has to date largely been delivered at a local level in areas and trusts, through training consortia or areas and according to local need. A full audit and review of management development on the probation side is currently being undertaken through NOMS headquarters to inform planning for future delivery. In the interim, all NOMS managers (probation and prisons) have access to the NOMS tool, "My Leadership Potential", a new e-learning management development package launched in April 2009. This provides an opportunity for managers to develop their skills and knowledge on a self-managed learning basis. In addition, first line management development activities are run locally by some probation areas and trusts according to need.
	Data on how many and what proportion of probation first line managers have undertaken training has not historically been collected centrally, as first line management development has largely been organised and delivered locally. The current audit and review will provide information on which to base decisions on future interventions.
	On the prisons side, the standard offering is the level 3 award in first line management, the introductory certificate in management, which has been offered to all first line managers since 2005. Until April 2009, all first time, first line managers with line manager support were eligible for this programme. In the region of 500-600 have participated annually during this time. This represents on average approximately 45 per cent. of the total number of newly promoted first line managers on an annual basis and 12-14 per cent. of the total number of first line managers. In April 2009, the programme was temporarily closed pending review of continuing fitness for purpose and an updated version or a comparable level 3 nationally accredited programme will be re-launched in October 2009.
	With regard to plans for further training and development, on the probation side, the audit and review will provide information on which decisions will be made about future interventions. For prisons, the appropriate level 3 programme will be launched in October 2009.

Prisons: Mental Health Services

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what evaluation has been made of the  (a) effectiveness and  (b) cost-effectiveness of the Dangerous and Severe Personality Disorder Programme in (i) enhancing public safety and (ii) improving the health of people subject to it.

Maria Eagle: The Dangerous and Severe Personality Disorder (DSPD) programme has two linked evaluations. The first, focusing on treatment offered and responses to treatment, is being carried out by the University of Oxford. It is due to report to the stakeholder Departments, the Ministry of Justice and the Department of Health, by the end of this year. The second, concerned with staffing and organisation, is by Imperial College. It is due to report in the first quarter of 2010. These two studies will provide a preliminary assessment of effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of the DSPD programme, including the health of those subject to the programme and the potential implications for public safety.

Prisons: Mental Health Services

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent assessment he has made of the merits of putting the Dangerous and Severe Personality Disorder Programme on a statutory footing.

Maria Eagle: There are no plans to change the statutory basis of the Dangerous and Severe Personality Disorder programme. Patients assessed and treated in the units at Broadmoor and Rampton hospitals are detained under the Mental Health Act. Prisoners assessed and treated in the units at Frankland, Whitemoor and Low Newton prisons are serving sentences of imprisonment.

Prisons: Mental Health Services

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people have been treated under the Dangerous and Severe Personality Disorder Programme in each year since 2001 in  (a) Broadmoor Hospital,  (b) Rampton Hospital,  (c) HMP Whitemoor,  (d) HMP Frankland and  (e) HMP/HMYOI Low Newton; and how long the average length of stay in each of those units was.

Maria Eagle: Table 1 shows the average number of offenders subject to the Dangerous and Severe Personality Disorder programme per financial year.
	Table 2 shows the average length of stay as of 31 March 2009. The figures for Low Newton may be unrepresentative as the unit has only been open since September 2007. These data were also available for the four male sites for the previous year (31 March 2008), as shown in Table 3, but not for any site for earlier years.
	
		
			  Table 1. Average number of offenders subject to the DSPD programme per financial year 
			  April to March 
			   2003 - 04  2004 - 05  2005 - 06  2006 - 07  2007 - 08  2008 - 09 
			 Broadmoor 8.5 9.7 13.8 23.7 30 37.8 
			 Rampton — 17.2 32.8 38.8 48 51 
			 HMP Whitemoor 32.8 45.3 58.6 62 62 61.3 
			 HMP Frankland — (1)39.1 58.6 66.6 74 73.8 
			 HMP Low Newton — (—) — — — 10 
			 (1) As the Frankland unit did not open until June 2004, this average only represents the final 10 months of the financial year.  Note: The Low Newton DSPD unit opened in 2007, however the occupancy data were only available from April 2008 onwards. Data were not available for Rampton or Frankland DSPD units in the earliest financial years as these units were not yet open. The figures for the first four financial years were calculated on the basis of monthly figures. However, from April 2007 onwards data have been collected on a quarterly basis. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2. Average length of stay for those accepted on the DSPD units as at 31 March 2009 
			  Unit  Mean stay (days)  Mean stay (years) 
			 Broadmoor 734 2.0 
			 Rampton 910 2.5 
			 HMP Frankland 830 2.3 
			 HMP Whitemoor 1,527 4.2 
			 HMP Low Newton 597 1.6 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 3. Average length of stay for those accepted on the DSPD units as at 31 March 2009 
			  Unit  Mean stay (days)  Mean stay (years) 
			 Broadmoor 539 1.5 
			 Rampton 750 2.1 
			 HMP Frankland 729 2.0 
			 HMP Whitemoor 1,307 3.6 
			 HMP Low Newton — —

Prisons: Mobile Phones

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many mobile telephones were found as a result of searches in prisons in England and Wales in 2008.

Maria Eagle: Prisons in England and Wales are asked to send mobile phones and SIM cards they find to a central unit for analysis. In 2008, 8,062 mobile phones and SIM cards were analysed. This figure includes items discovered within prison perimeters and on entry to establishments.
	We believe that this figure may understate the actual number of finds because it does not include items retained by the police for evidential purposes, and because in some instances prisons have not sent items for analysis. NOMS is putting in place new procedures to ensure that we have a more comprehensive picture in future. While the numbers of phones found indicates the scale of the challenge in tackling illicit mobile phones, it is also a reflection of prisons' increasing success in finding them and better reporting.
	NOMS is implementing a strategy to minimise the number of phones entering prisons, and to find or disrupt those that do enter. As part of the strategy, prisons are being provided with technologies to strengthen local security and searching strategies, in line with the recommendations in the Blakey report, "Disrupting the Supply of Illicit Drugs into Prisons", published in July 2008. This includes the roll out of BOSS chairs to all prisons, and the deployment of other detection and disruption technologies, including mobile phone signal blockers.
	We have also strengthened the law, through the Offender Management Act 2007 (implemented in April 2008), which makes it a criminal offence with a punishment of up to two years' imprisonment to bring an unauthorised mobile phone or component part into a prison.

Probation Officers: Redundancy

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate he has made of the number of Probation Service  (a) officers and  (b) other staff in Lancashire who will be made redundant in (i) 2009-10, (ii) 2010-11 and (iii) 2011-12.

Maria Eagle: Lancashire Probation was awarded trust status with effect from 1 April 2009 and has no plans to make any employees redundant in the current financial year. In terms of future staffing levels the trust will make decisions about both the size and mix of the workforce once budgets are allocated for the financial years 2010-11 and 2011-12.

Young Offenders

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people under the age of 21 years were charged with offences after having served a sentence restricted by section 91 of the Powers of Criminal Courts (Sentencing) Act 2000 in each year since 2000.

Claire Ward: The requested information is not available. The data sets compiled by the Ministry of Justice to analyse reoffending by juveniles do not allow for the identification of offenders sentenced to terms of detention under section 91 of the Powers of Criminal Court (Sentencing) Act 2000. Reoffending data for these offenders cannot therefore be produced.

Young Offenders: Restraint Techniques

David Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many acts of  (a) restrictive physical intervention and  (b) removal from association recorded in respect of those of each (i) sex, (ii) age group and (iii) ethnic group (A) with and (B) without a disability held in each institution in the juvenile secure estate were carried out (1) for purposes of ensuring good order and discipline, (2) to prevent escape from custody, (3) to prevent a child or young person from injuring him or herself or others, (4) to prevent a child or young person from damaging property and (5) to prevent a child or young person from inciting others to break orders, escape, injure themselves or damage property in each month between January 2007 and the latest month for which figures are available.

Maria Eagle: Restraint is only ever to be used by staff as a last resort, when all other approaches have either not succeeded or would not be appropriate.
	The data provided in the following tables, for the period April 2008 to March 2009, have been supplied by the Youth Justice Board (YJB) and relate to use of restraint in secure training centres. Central collection of information about the reasons for each restraint began in April 2008. Details of the age, sex and ethnic group of the young person restrained were also collected from that point, but it is not possible to provide a further breakdown, by those categories, of the reasons for restraint, as the Youth Justice Board does not receive the data in that format. Statistics relating to young offender institutions and secure children's homes are not collected in the format requested and obtaining them would require a search through individual records, which could not be carried out without disproportionate cost. The YJB does not collect data on whether or not a young person restrained has a disability, or the requested information about removal from association, and these could not be provided without disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  Use of restraint for the purpose of ensuring good order and discipline 
			   Rainsbrook  Oakhill  Medway  Hassockfield  STC total 
			 April 2008 2 0 2 0 4 
			 May 2008 0 0 0 0 0 
			 June 2008 0 3 0 0 3 
			 July 2008 0 0 1 8 9 
			 August 2008 0 0 0 0 0 
			 September 2008 0 0 0 0 0 
			 October 2008 0 0 0 0 0 
			 November 2008 0 0 0 0 0 
			 December 2008 0 0 0 0 0 
			   
			 January 2009 0 0 0 0 0 
			 February 2009 0 0 0 0 0 
			 March 2009 0 0 0 0 0 
			  Note: In July 2008, the Court of Appeal ruled that restraint could not be used in secure training centres for the purpose of ensuring good order and discipline (Re C v Secretary of State for Justice (2008) EWCA Civ 882) 
		
	
	
		
			  Use of restraint for the purpose of preventing escape from custody 
			   Rainsbrook  Oakhill  Medway  Hassockfield  STC total 
			 April 2008 0 0 0 0 0 
			 May2008 0 0 0 0 0 
			 June 2008 0 1 0 0 1 
			 July 2008 0 1 0 0 1 
			 August 2008 0 0 0 0 0 
			 September 2008 0 0 0 0 0 
			 October 2008 0 0 0 0 0 
			 November 2008 0 0 0 0 0 
			 December 2008 0 0 0 0 0 
			 January 2009 0 0 0 0 0 
			 February 2009 0 0 0 0 0 
			 March 2009 0 0 0 0 0 
		
	
	
		
			  Use of restraint for the purpose of preventing injury 
			   Rainsbrook  Oakhill  Medway  Hassockfield  STC total 
			 April 2008 24 58 24 31 137 
			 May 2008 23 20 21 31 95 
			 June 2008 29 25 33 32 119 
			 July 2008 21 68 39 42 170 
			 August 2008 38 44 25 43 150 
			 September 2008 44 27 30 24 125 
			 October 2008 37 36 34 36 143 
			 November 2008 29 23 20 31 103 
			 December 2008 35 27 24 42 128 
			   
			 January 2009 52 45 12 29 138 
			 February 2009 14 26 40 47 127 
			 March 2009 19 26 61 53 159 
		
	
	
		
			  Use of restraint for the purpose of preventing damage to property 
			   Rainsbrook  Oakhill  Medway  Hassockfield  STC total 
			 April 2008 1 1 1 4 7 
			 May 2008 1 2 4 7 14 
			 June 2008 1 2 6 4 13 
			 July 2008 0 0 3 4 7 
			 August 2008 0 4 4 7 15 
			 September 2008 0 7 3 16 26 
			 October 2008 1 2 6 6 15 
			 November 2008 0 0 1 3 4 
			 December 2008 2 4 2 6 14 
			   
			 January 2009 0 0 1 4 5 
			 February 2009 0 0 2 15 17 
			 March 2009 1 2 8 18 29 
		
	
	
		
			  Use of restraint for the purpose of preventing incitement to cause harm or damage property 
			   Rainsbrook  Oakhill  Medway  Hassockfield  STC total 
			 April 2008 0 2 0 0 2 
			 May 2008 0 0 1 0 1 
			 June 2008 0 0 0 0 0 
			 July 2008 0 2 2 0 4 
			 August 2008 0 1 1 0 2 
			 September 2008 0 0 1 0 1 
			 October 2008 0 0 1 0 1 
			 November 2008 0 0 0 0 0 
			 December 2008 0 0 0 0 0 
			   
			 January 2009 0 0 0 0 0 
			 February 2009 0 0 1 0 1 
			 March 2009 0 0 2 0 2

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Aung San Suu Kyi

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Government of Burma on Aung San Suu Kyi.

Ivan Lewis: We have regularly called for the immediate and unconditional release of all political prisoners, including Aung San Suu Kyi, through direct contacts with the regime.
	Most recently, our ambassador in Rangoon conveyed to the Burmese authorities our deep concern on receiving news of the arrest of Aung San Suu Kyi on 14 May 2009. Whenever possible, he has attended the trial. In addition, my hon. Friend the Member for Harlow (Bill Rammell), the then Minister of State, raised recent developments in Burma with EU and Asian participants at the EU-Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit and Asia-Europe meeting in the region at the end of May. He spoke directly to Burmese foreign ministers to call for her release, and the release of all other political prisoners in Burma.

Burma: Politics and Government

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Government of Burma on the pro-democracy movement in that country.

Ivan Lewis: Through the EU and United Nations, and directly with the regime, the UK has regularly called for the elections proposed to be held in Burma to be free and fair. We have made clear our views that unless all political prisoners are released, and democratic opposition and ethnic groups can participate freely in the 2010 elections, they will have no validity or international credibility.
	Most recently, my hon. Friend the Member for Harlow (Bill Rammell), the then Minister of State, spoke directly with the Burmese Deputy Foreign Minister at the EU-Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Phnom Penh on 27-28 May 2009. He called for the release of Aung San Suu Kyi and other political prisoners, and for the start of a genuinely inclusive political process.

Colombia: Foreign Relations

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he next expects to meet his Colombian counterpart to discuss UK-Colombian relations.

Chris Bryant: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has no meetings with the Colombian Foreign Minister scheduled. Our ambassador in Bogota maintains regular contact with senior Colombian Government officials, including the Foreign Minister, to discuss bilateral relations and broader global issues.

Departmental Billing

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many and what proportion of invoices his Department and its agencies paid within 10 days of receipt in each of the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Bryant: The figures for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) are as follows:
	
		
			   Invoices paid within 10 days 
			   Number  Percentage 
			 November 2008 3,517 70.2 
			 December 2008 2,693 76.3 
			 January 2009 3,797 73.2 
			 February 2009 3,068 83.1 
			 March 2009 5,585 84.8 
			 April 2009 4,080 78.6 
			 May 2009 2,879 79.6 
		
	
	This information was not collected before November 2008.
	The FCO is aware of the importance of paying suppliers promptly, and makes every effort to pay invoices as quickly as possible.

Departmental Gifts and Endowments

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what gifts his Department has given to members of EU institutions since 2005.

Chris Bryant: None. It is not official policy to give gifts to members of EU institutions and we are not aware of any official gifts being given since 2005.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer to the right hon. Member for Richmond, Yorks of 15 May 2009,  Official Report, column 1061W, on departmental public expenditure, for what reason the administration allocation for the Basra post was reduced from £6,800,947 in 2007-08 to £1,426,582 in 2008-09; what categories of cost are now incurred at this post; and how much staff security at the post cost in the latest period for which figures are available.

Ivan Lewis: Since 1 April 2008 funds for major contracts in Iraq have been managed from London as this is more cost-effective. The funds managed at post are for local running costs.
	The total allocations for London and posts in Iraq Directorate for financial year (FY) 2007-08 were £39.2 million. In FY 2008-09 total allocations reduced to £36.1 million. The decrease in allocation was because of the renegotiation of major contracts, which led to lower costs while maintaining appropriate levels of security for our staff.
	Costs incurred at Basra include those for security, transport, medical, catering and other life support costs.
	The value of the contracts for security at Basra in 2008-09 was £4.2 million.

Election observers

Bruce George: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many and what proportion of  (a) short-term and  (b) long-term observers the UK will provide for the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights election observation mission to the Albanian parliamentary elections.

Ivan Lewis: The UK will send two long-term observers (7 per cent.) and 20 short-term observers (5 per cent.) to the election observation mission of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights for the Albanian parliamentary elections which will be held on Saturday 28 June 2009.

Election observers

Bruce George: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 1 April 2009,  Official Report, column 1196W, on elections: monitoring, if he will make it his policy that the Government provide no less than 10 per cent. of observers to all election observation missions undertaken by the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe.

Chris Bryant: Our policy on OSCE election observation missions will continue to be to provide up to 10 per cent. of observers to all election observation missions, on an ad hoc basis.

Election observers

Bruce George: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proportion of  (a) short-term and  (b) long-term observers the Government plans to contribute to the election observation mission to the Albanian parliamentary elections organised by the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe.

Chris Bryant: The UK will send two long-term observers (7 per cent.) and 20 short-term observers (5 per cent.) to the election observation mission of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights for the Albanian parliamentary elections which will be held on 28 June 2009.

Gibraltar

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the European Commission on the designation by the Spanish Government of a maritime conservation area encompassing British Gibraltar territorial waters; under what authority that designation was made; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Bryant: The UK has made written and oral representations at ministerial and official level to the European Commission regarding Commission Decision 2009/95 EC. As the UK is the only member state competent to propose a site covering British Gibraltar Territorial Waters (BGTW), we do not recognise the validity of the adopted site. The UK is deeply concerned that Spain should seek to designate an area of BGTW and that the UK was not formally consulted. In our view, the adoption procedures were deficient, and there was a clear lack of transparency and effective consultation involved. We continue to press the Commission to rectify this matter urgently.

Gibraltar

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Spanish Government on its designation of waters off Gibraltar as a marine conservation area; what assessment he has made of the effect of the designation on  (a) fishing rights,  (b) allocation of airspace and  (c) development rights; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Bryant: Under Commission Decision 2009/95 EC, Spain has put forward a Site of Community Importance under the habitats directive which encompasses British Gibraltar Territorial Waters (BGTW). As the UK is the only member state competent to propose a site covering BGTW, we do not recognise the validity of the adopted site and do not consider that the decision allows Spain any rights in BGTW, nor would we accept that it would have any effects in BGTW. The UK is deeply concerned that Spain should seek to designate an area of BGTW and that the UK was not formally consulted. The UK has made written and oral representations to Spain (and to the Commission) at ministerial and official level on this issue and will continue to do so until such time as the issue is resolved.

India: Tourism

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received of the behaviour of British tourists in Goa.

Ivan Lewis: We have received no reports about the behaviour of British tourists from the Goan authorities. However, last year 131 British nationals required consular assistance while in Goa.
	In response to this, our high commission distributed over 18,000 information booklets direct to British tourists in Goa during the main six-month tourist season last year. They plan a further distribution this year and are hoping to open up further distribution channels to increase this amount.

Iran: Baha'i Faith

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 5 May 2009,  Official Report, column 45W, on Iran: Baha'i faith, what representations he has made to the Iranian government on the detention of seven Baha'i leaders in Iran since his public statement on 16 February 2009.

Ivan Lewis: We continue to express our concerns to the Iranian Government regarding the treatment and continued detention of the seven Baha'i leaders.
	14 May 2009 marked the one-year anniversary of their arrest and on this date my predecessor as Minister of State, my hon. Friend the member for Harlow (Bill Rammell), issued a press statement in which he urged the Iranian Government to ensure that their lives and rights are protected in accordance with international law.
	The EU, with strong UK support, issued a declaration on 25 May 2009 on behalf of all member states, reaffirming our concern for the Baha'i leaders and expressing wider concerns about the increasing violation of religious freedom in Iran.

Iran: Nuclear power

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his counterparts in the E3+3 on Iran's nuclear programme; what reports he has received on the number of centrifuges in Iran; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary's most recent conversation with US Secretary of State Clinton took place on 3 June 2009 and they discussed Iran, as well as a range of other matters. The Foreign Secretary keeps in regular contact with counterparts from the rest of the E3+3, and the development of the Iranian nuclear programme remains an issue of serious and shared concern. Senior officials from the E3+3 last met on 8 April 2009 and also keep in regular contact.
	The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General's Iran report of 19 February 2009 states that Iran had 5,537 centrifuges installed, of which almost 4,000 were enriching uranium hexafluoride (UF6). We anticipate that the Director General's next report, which will be discussed at the IAEA Board of Governors meeting on 15 June 2009, will show that Iran has continued to develop its enrichment programme, despite five UN Security Council Resolutions requiring it to stop.

North Africa: al-Qaeda

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment his Department has made of the strength of al-Qaeda in North Africa.

Ivan Lewis: Al-Qaeda in the Maghreb (AQ-M) represents a significant terrorist threat in north Africa and the Sahara. Exact numbers are unclear, but estimates suggest a strength of around a thousand. AQ-M has the intent and capability to carry out terrorist attacks, including suicide bombings and kidnappings, against both regional and western, including British, interests. AQ-M claimed responsibility for the murder of a British citizen, Edwin Dyer, around 1 June 2009.

North Korea

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many North Korean officials are subject to a travel ban and assets freeze under the provisions of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1718 (2006).

David Miliband: Three North Korean organisations with links to their country's ballistic missile programme are subject to asset freezes under the provisions of UN Security Council Resolution 1718, following North Korea's satellite launch on 5 April 2009. No individual officials are currently subject to travel bans or asset freezes. The new UN Security Council Resolution 1874, passed on 12 June 2009, tasks the UN Sanctions Committee to designate further organisations and individuals for travel bans and asset freezes.

Palestinians

Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Palestinian Authority security forces in creating stability in Nablus, Jenin and Hebron.

Ivan Lewis: The Palestinian Authority is making very significant progress in developing the capability and professionalism of its security forces. In particular, the reinforcement of Palestinian Authority security forces in the main urban centres of the West Bank—including Jenin, Nablus and Hebron—has meant that those cities are much safer today than they were a year ago. We support fully the Palestinian Authority's determination to uphold the principle of the legitimate law enforcement agencies having a monopoly on the use of force and its subsequent attempts to control armed militias operating in the West Bank. On the Palestinian side, building a fully effective criminal justice system remains an immediate challenge. On the Israeli side, it is imperative that the Israeli defence forces (IDF) give the Palestinian security forces the space to take full responsibility for the security situation in area A and increasing responsibility for the security situation in area B.

Sri Lanka: Arms trade

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on alleged sales of military equipment to the Sri Lankan Government since 2006 by the UK and other EU countries in contravention of the 1998 EU Code of Conduct on Arms Exports; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: All UK export licensing decisions relating to Sri Lanka have been consistent with the Consolidated Export Licensing Criteria, and the EU Code of Conduct. All UK licence applications for exports to Sri Lanka have been carefully assessed against the criteria on a case-by-case basis, taking into account the nature of the goods, the end use, and end users, and with full consideration of the prevailing situation. In line with these criteria, any export licence applications that would provoke or prolong the internal conflict or be used for internal repression have been refused.
	We cannot comment on exports or licensing decisions made by other countries, including our EU partners. However COARM, the EU Working Group on Conventional Arms in Brussels, provides a forum for discussion of any issues relating to the Code of Conduct. There was such a discussion in June 2008, when an export to Sri Lanka was involved. As a result of these discussions the exporting state revoked a licence that had previously been approved.

West Bank

Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the security situation in the West Bank; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: The Palestinian Authority is making very significant progress in developing the capability and professionalism of its security forces. In particular the reinforcement of Palestinian Authority security forces in the main urban centres of the west bank—including Jenin, Nablus, and Hebron—has meant that those cities are much safer today than they were a year ago. We support fully the Palestinian Authority's determination to uphold the principle of the legitimate law enforcement agencies having a monopoly on the use of force and its subsequent attempts to control armed militias operating in the west bank. On the Palestinian side, building a fully effective criminal justice system remains an immediate challenge. On the Israeli side, it is imperative that the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) give the Palestinian security forces the space to take full responsibility for the security situation in Area A and increasing responsibility for the security situation in Area B.

Zimbabwe: Embassies

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar of 15 September 2008,  Official Report, columns 2201-02W, on Zimbabwe: embassies, how much the embassy of Zimbabwe owed in business rates on the latest date for which figures are available; and what steps are being taken to ensure that payment of outstanding business rates is made.

Chris Bryant: The Valuation Office Agency (VOA) of HM Revenue and Customs is responsible for billing and collection of national non-domestic rates (NNDR). VOA send quarterly statements to all missions, and we continue to work with the VOA to press all diplomatic missions to pay their NNDR bills.
	The embassy of Zimbabwe has not made any NNDR payments in the last five years.
	At the end of the financial year 2008-09, the embassy of Zimbabwe owed a total of £79,883 in national non-domestic rates (NNDR). The embassy's NNDR bill for 2009-10 is £13,531.50. We wrote to the embassy of Zimbabwe in March to highlight their outstanding debts and to remind them of their obligation to pay NNDR. We will continue to press them to settle their debts.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Animal Experiments

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the potential effects of the REACH regulations on the numbers of animals required for scientific procedures in the United Kingdom.

Dan Norris: REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals) aims to minimise animal testing, and actively promotes the development and use of non-animal alternative test methods. However, it is inevitable that some further animal testing will be necessary in order to fill the many gaps which currently exist in our knowledge of the way chemicals impact on human health and the environment. Animal testing is only allowed as a last resort where no suitable non-animal alternatives exist. REACH prohibits repetition of animal tests once they are completed, and requires the data from them to be shared between everyone wanting to register the same substance.
	In October 2006, the European Commission estimated that in the region of between 8 and 13 million additional animals might be used across Europe over the entire REACH registration period. However, we expect that number to be significantly reduced as a result of the additional drivers to reduce the amount of animal testing that were incorporated into the final agreed REACH text in December 2006.
	These figures should also be read with caution because of the uncertainty about how many registrations will be made over the next nine years. It is not possible to estimate how many tests might take place in the United Kingdom as there are no restrictions on where any individual company may choose to commission any procedures it needs.

Climate Change

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of his Department's potential gross  (a) costs and  (b) savings arising from its climate change adaptation measures in the next three years.

Dan Norris: It is not currently possible to provide estimates of the potential costs and savings over the next three years. It has, however, been shown in the Stern review on the economics of climate change that timely and well-targeted climate adaptation measures will yield benefits in excess of their costs. Some of these benefits will accrue to Departments as cost-savings over the next three years, with further more significant gains to be made in future years. The main rationale for investment to address climate risk will be to reduce the UK's vulnerability to longer-term climate change impacts.
	The Government are undertaking a climate change risk assessment and economic analysis, which will provide estimates of the costs and benefits of adaptation to the UK. This analysis will be presented to Parliament in 2011.
	As the hon. Lady is aware, the Government will also be publishing supplementary appraisal guidance this summer. This will help to ensure that adaptation measures are designed and implemented in a cost-effective manner.

Dairy Farming

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will bring forward proposals for the Government to underwrite the payments that Dairy Farmers of Britain were due to make to dairy farmers for milk supplied in May 2009.

Jim Fitzpatrick: I am deeply concerned and saddened by the situation facing farming members and other employees of Dairy Farmers of Britain, following the announcement to call in the receivers (PricewaterhouseCoopers) on 3 June.
	Publicly-funded schemes such as those available through Business Link are available to assist SMEs that find themselves in difficulties. Farmers who are in need of business advice should contact Business Link in their region. HMRC's Business Payment Support Service is also available for businesses which are finding it difficult to meet their tax commitments for the sorts of reasons faced by the farmers of Dairy Farmers of Britain.
	Ministers have been in discussions with senior industry leaders and officials remain in close contact with the receivers to ensure that those who might need to access these schemes know how to do so.

Departmental Air Conditioning

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much has been spent by his Department on carrying out inspections of air conditioning systems within departmental buildings in accordance with the Energy Performance of Buildings (Certificates and Inspections) (England and Wales) Regulations 2007.

Dan Norris: The Department has spent £4,715 on inspection reports required under the Energy Performance of Buildings (Certificates and Inspections) (England and Wales) Regulations 2007.

Departmental Air Conditioning

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many of his Department's buildings are equipped with air conditioning systems with greater than 250kW of output; how many of these systems have been inspected under the Energy Performance of Buildings (Certificates and Inspections) (England and Wales) Regulations 2007; and if he will place in the Library a copy of each inspection report.

Dan Norris: Four of the Department's buildings are equipped with air conditioning systems with greater than 250kW of output. All four have been inspected under the Energy Performance of Buildings (Certificates and Inspections) (England and Wales) Regulations 2007. A copy of the inspection reports will be placed in the Library.

Departmental Billing

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies paid in interest to suppliers under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 in the last three years for which figures are available.

Dan Norris: These figures are shown in the Department's resource accounts, under the heading 'Payment of Suppliers' in the management report section of the accounts. The accounts, including prior year accounts, can be found on line at:
	www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/finance/resource-accounts/index.htm
	Figures for the financial year 2008-09 are being compiled currently.

Departmental Carbon Emissions

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the amount of carbon dioxide emissions arising from road-based transport for his Department's administrative operations  (a) in total and  (b) per full-time equivalent member of staff in (i) 2006-07 and (ii) 2007-08.

Dan Norris: From information held centrally, the estimate made of the amount of carbon dioxide emissions arising from road-based transport for the Department's administrative operations  (a) in total and  (b) per full-time equivalent member of staff in 2007-08 was 21,978 metric tonnes and 0.98 metric kg respectively. Information for the period 2006-07 is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Carbon Emissions

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the levels of carbon dioxide emissions arising from air travel by staff in his Department  (a) in total and  (b) per full-time equivalent member of staff in (i) 2006-07 and (ii) 2007-08.

Dan Norris: From information held centrally, the estimate made of the levels of carbon dioxide emissions arising from air travel by staff in the Department  (a) in total and  (b) per full-time equivalent member of staff were:
	
		
			   (a) Total  (m etric tonnes )  (b) Full-time equivalent  (m etric kg ) 
			 2006-07 3,077 0.127 
			 2007-08 2,549 0.114 
		
	
	DEFRA in partnership with other Government Departments offset the emissions for official and ministerial air and rail travel through the Government Carbon Offset Fund.

Departmental Contracts for Services

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which services his Department has outsourced in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Dan Norris: From information held centrally, the core-Department has outsourced in:
	2004: IT service provision;
	2005: Photo Library, and Landscape editorial and print;
	2006: Recruitment and Statutory Notice Advertising, and Shared Central Stakeholder Database;
	2007: Print Services; and
	2009: Sustainable Built Environment and Workplace Solutions.
	Outsourcing is one means of maximising value for money as a major business objective of all Government Departments. Best practice procurement in outsourcing is a central element in achieving this objective.

Departmental Data Protection

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many notifications his Department made to the Information Commissioner in the year ended 30 April 2009 in respect of the loss or mishandling of personal information or data; what was notified in each such case; and how many individuals were the subjects of personal information or data in respect of which such notifications were made.

Dan Norris: Under the mandatory requirements of the Data Handling Report published on 25 June 2008, DEFRA is required to give a summary report on data breaches reported to the Information Commissioner in our annual resource accounts.
	DEFRA has reported on personal data breaches in 2007-08 in our 2008 Departmental Report and this can be found at:
	http://www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/deprep/2008/index.htm
	We will be publishing information on personal data security breaches reported to the Information Commissioner for the 2008-09 reporting year before Parliament rises in July. The information is currently being compiled and is to be audited and verified before it is laid before Parliament.

Departmental Data Protection

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many officials in  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies have been (i) disciplined and (ii) dismissed for (A) breaches of data protection requirements and (B) inappropriate use of personal or sensitive data in the last 12 months.

Dan Norris: There have been no staff in the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), or its agencies, who have been disciplined or dismissed for (A) breaches of data protection requirements or (B) inappropriate use of personal or sensitive data in the last 12 months from 1 June 2009.
	Information is a key asset to Government and its correct handling is vital to the delivery of public services and to the integrity of HMG. The Security Policy Framework and the Data Handling Report produced by the Cabinet Office provide a strategic framework for protecting information that Government handles and put in place a set of mandatory measures which Departments must adhere to.
	The Civil Service Management Code sets out the requirements for Departments to have procedures in place to deal with conduct and disciplinary issues. DEFRA's procedures are laid down in the staff handbook which all staff can access via the Department's intranet. Before being permitted to access DEFRA's IT systems all users are required to read and agree to a personal commitment statement. This outlines the requirements to follow the Department's security policies which are held on the intranet, including those which relate to the use of e-mail and the internet.
	If staff are found to have been responsible for a serious breach of data security procedures, dependent upon the circumstances, a range of sanctions are available including disciplinary or administrative action, and in extreme or persistent cases, termination of employment/services and, if appropriate, criminal proceedings.

Departmental Information Officers

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much was spent on salaries for communications and press officers by  (a) his Department and  (b) each of its non-departmental public bodies in each of the last five years.

Dan Norris: Details of how much the Department (including Executive Agencies) spent on salaries for communications and press officers, where information is available, is illustrated in the table at  (a).
	The position in relation to the Department's non-departmental public bodies is outlined at  (b).
	 (a) Details of the spend on salaries for press/communications officers in DEFRA (including Executive Agencies) over the last five years :
	
		
			  £000 
			  Department/Agency  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 Core-DEFRA(1) 1,230 1,616 1,436 1,256 892 
			 Animal Health (AH)(2) — — — — — 
			 Marine and Fisheries Agency (MFA)(3) — — — 36 42 
			 Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD)(4) — — — — — 
			 Rural Payments Agency (RPA)(5) — — 506 1,039 818 
			 Veterinary Laboratories Agency (VLA) 21 24 25 26 56 
			 Centre for Fisheries, Aquaculture and Science (CEFAS) 27 28 31 32 34 
			 The Food and Environment Research Agency (FERA)(6) — — — — — 
			 (1) The figures for Core-DEFRA, exclude costs relating to agency staff, contractors and consultants. (2) Details are not held centrally and Animal Health have indicated could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. (3) The Marine and Fisheries Agency was created on 1 October 2005. No information is available for 2004-05 at all, as there was no communications/press officer provision in the Agency or for 2005-06 and 2006-07. A dedicated senior information officer joined MFA on 12 May 2007. (4) The Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) do not have any dedicated communications or press staff. Any comms work is carried out on behalf of VMD, by Core-DEFRA's press office, on an ad-hoc basis. (5) The Communications Directorate in the Rural Payments Agency was only set up in November 2006, a fact that is reflected in the figures. Figures for earlier years are not held in a form that is readily accessible and consequently, could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. The figures quoted include both the costs of employing both permanent staff and contractor/consultancy staff over the respective periods. (6) The new Food and Environment Research Agency, which was created on 1 April 2009, does not specifically employ press or communications officers. Instead they route all of the press queries that they receive through the Core-DEFRA press office. 
		
	
	 (b) Details of the spend on salaries for press/communications officers in DEFRA's NDPBs :
	This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Marketing

Ann Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much has been spent by his Department on advertising in weekly and regional newspapers in each of the last five years.

Dan Norris: The following table shows how much DEFRA has spent on advertising in weekly and regional newspapers in the last five years.
	
		
			  £ 
			  Type  April 2004 to March 2005  April 2005 to March 2006  April 2006 to March 2007  April 2007 to March 2008  April 2008 to March 2009  Total 
			 Dailies 28,076 — — — 139,392 167,468 
			 Weeklies 7,984 — — — 24,431 32,415 
			 Total 36,060 0 0 0 163,823 199,883 
		
	
	The increase in spend in the last financial year (April 2008 to March 2009) correlated with the start of our major consumer-facing campaign, Act on CO2.

Departmental Official Hospitality

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much his Department has spent on  (a) conference services and  (b) banqueting services in each of the last five years.

Dan Norris: The core-Department's financial system category codes record the following expenditure on conferences and events services.
	
		
			   £ 
			 2008-09 2,216,948.09 
			 2007-08 2,237,045.29 
		
	
	Information before this date could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The core-Department's financial system has no category code for banqueting services.

Departmental Pay

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many staff employed in London on work contracted out by his Department earn less than £7.45 per hour.

Dan Norris: holding answer 12 May 2009
	 From information held centrally, there are no staff employed in London on work contracted out by the Department earning less than £7.45 per hour.

Departmental Pay

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many bonuses were paid to staff in  (a) his Department and  (b) each of its non-departmental public bodies in each of the last five years; and how much was paid in each case.

Dan Norris: The following table shows the figures requested for DEFRA and its Executive Agencies. Due to system changes, data prior to 2005-06 for Core DEFRA are available only at disproportionate cost. Data for non departmental public bodies are not held centrally and also can only be made available at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			DEFRA  VLA  CEFAS  RPA 
			 2004-05 Total value (£) — 30,777 321,000 323,567 
			  Number of bonuses — 133 490 525 
			   
			 2005-06 Total value (£) 3,361,065 35,034 482,000 249,025 
			  Number of bonuses 4,368 148 479 541 
			   
			 2006-07 Total value (£) 3,171,792 39,120 566,766 243,072 
			  Number of bonuses 2,569 162 543 480 
			   
			 2007-08 Total value (£) 3,235,664 45,327 610,125 425,417 
			  Number of bonuses 2,100 180 567 812 
			   
			 2008-09 Total value (£) 3,036,270 47,409 773,747 542,289 
			  Number of bonuses 2,014 195 410 1,125 
		
	
	For DEFRA, the data cover staff in the core Department and those Executive Agencies covered by DEFRA terms and conditions at that time, as well as staff who transferred to DECC on 3 October 2008.
	Non-consolidated performance related variable pay is used to reward excellent performance during the year and is based on a judgment of how well an individual has performed relative to their peers. Performance related pay schemes encourage high attainment because bonuses have to be earned each year. They help drive high performance in Departments and agencies and support better public service delivery.
	 For the SCS :
	Non-consolidated performance related variable pay rewards in-year performances in relation to agreed objectives, or short term personal contribution to wider organisational objectives. Such payments are paid in addition to base pay increases and do not count towards pension.
	Performance related variable pay is allocated by Departments from a 'pot' expressed as a percentage of the SCS salary bill, which is agreed centrally each year following the Senior Salaries Review Body recommendations. The intention is that such payment decisions should be differentiated in order to recognise the most significant deliverers of in-year performance.
	 For staff at Grade 6 and below :
	The performance related variable pay scheme introduced in April 2005 provides staff in DEFRA and those Agencies covered by the core- Department's reward arrangements, with recognition and reward for delivery of an outstanding outcome or performance that significantly exceeds normal expectations. The process should provide staff at all grades with an opportunity to earn such an award, and ensure that achievements in operational, policy and corporate services areas are recognised as being of equal esteem. Such payments are paid in addition to base pay increases and do not count towards pension.
	There are two types of award:
	In-year payments, paid to individuals or teams in recognition of one-off achievements during the year; and
	Annual payments that, in 2007 and 2008, were paid to the top 10 per cent. of performers for delivery of an outstanding outcome or performance sustained throughout the whole year.

Departmental Pay

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies paid in end-of-year performance bonuses to (i) all staff and (ii) senior Civil Service staff in 2008-09; and how many such payments were made.

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies paid in end-of-year performance bonuses to (i) all staff and (ii) senior Civil Service staff in 2008-09; and how many such payments were made.

Dan Norris: The following table summarises the requested figures for DEFRA and its Executive agencies.
	
		
			   DEFRA  RPA  VLA  CEFAS 
			 Amount spent on end-year non-consolidated performance payments (£) 2,433,775 475,721 84,069 773,747 
			 Amount spent on non-consolidated performance payments for the SCS only (£) 1,300,592 34,371 36,660 32,500 
			 Number of staff (grade 6 and below) who received an end-of-year non-consolidated performance payment 490 565 195 4 
			 Number of SCS staff who received a non-consolidated performance payment 134 2 3 494 
		
	
	The data for DEFRA cover staff in the core Department and those organisations under DEFRA terms and conditions, including Animal Health, the Marine Fisheries Agency, the Veterinary Medicines Directorate and those staff who transferred to DECC on 3 October 2008.
	The total pay bill for DEFRA was £194.147 million, of which 1.25 per cent. was used for end-on-year non-consolidated performance payments to staff (including the SCS). The median payments were £8,500 for SCS and £2,056 for non-SCS staff.
	The total pay bill for the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) was £98.8 million, of which 0.48 per cent. was used for end-on-year non-consolidated performance payments to staff (including the SCS).
	The total pay bill for the Veterinary Laboratories Agencies (VLA) was £40.363 million, of which 0.21 per cent. was used for end-on-year non-consolidated performance payments to staff (including the SCS). The median payments were £12,000 for SCS and £207.99 for non-SCS staff.
	The total pay bill for the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS) was £15.547 million, of which 4.8 per cent. was used for end-on-year non-consolidated performance payments to staff (including the SCS). The mean payments were £8,125 for SCS and £1,500 for non-SCS staff.
	Non-consolidated performance related variable pay is used to reward excellent performance during the year and are based on a judgment of how well an individual has performed relative to their peers. Performance related pay schemes encourage high attainment because bonuses have to be earned each year. They help drive high performance in Departments and agencies and support better public service delivery.
	 For the SCS
	Non-consolidated performance related variable pay rewards in-year performance in relation to agreed objectives, or short term personal contribution to wider organisational objectives. Such payments are paid in addition to base pay increases and do not count towards pension.
	Performance related variable pay is allocated by Departments from a 'pot' expressed as a percentage of the SCS salary bill, which is agreed centrally each year following the Senior Salaries Review Body recommendations. The intention is that such payment decisions should be differentiated in order to recognise the most significant deliverers of in-year performance.

Departmental Responsibilities

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress his Department has made in establishing a natural hazards team; and if he will make a statement.

Dan Norris: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my hon. Friend the Minister with responsibility for marine and natural environment (Huw Irranca-Davies) on 2 June 2009,  Official Report, column 335W.

Departmental Security

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many breaches of security have been reported at  (a) Animal Health,  (b) the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science,  (c) the Central Science Laboratory,  (d) the Government Decontamination Service,  (e) the Marine and Fisheries Agency,  (f) the Rural Payments Agency,  (g) the Veterinary Laboratories Agency and  (h) the Veterinary Medicines Directorate in the last five years; and what procedures each agency follows when a breach of security involves the disclosure of personal data.

Dan Norris: In the last five years, the DEFRA agencies listed have reported a total of 104 separate breaches related to losses of electronic equipment and security passes. They did not involve the loss of any personal or protectively marked data.
	My Department and its Executive agencies are required to report all significant personal data security breaches to the Cabinet Office and the ICO. Information on personal data security breaches is published on an annual basis in the Department's annual resource accounts as was announced in the Data Handling Review published on 25 June 2008.
	Additionally, all significant control weaknesses including other significant security breaches are included in the Statement of Internal Control which is published within the annual resource accounts.

Departmental Stationery

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much his Department spent on the purchase of  (a) recycled office supplies in the last 12 months and  (b) printer ink cartridges in each of the last five years.

Dan Norris: The information is as follows:
	 (a) The only data available for expenditure on recycled office supplies are for paper products inclusive of office paper, envelopes and card. Core-DEFRA spent the following amounts on 100 per cent. recycled paper.
	
		
			   £ 
			 2006-07 114,000 
			 2007-08 99,500 
			 2008-09 92,200 
		
	
	In comparison, expenditure on virgin paper products for these financial years was £9,000, £7,500 and £3,800 respectively.
	Data from 2005-06 and 2004-05 could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	 (b) DEFRA outsourced IT service provision to IBM in 2004. Due to the way in which this contract is structured, the figures provided as follows (based on paid invoices) include toner cartridge expenditure for the core-Department as well as the following Executive agencies and NDPBs which receive services from IBM under the e-nabling contract (core-DEFRA, Marine Fisheries Agency, Natural England, Animal Health Agency, Government Decontamination Service, Gangmasters Licensing Authority, Commission for Rural Communities, Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution).
	
		
			  Toner spend 
			   £ 
			 2005-06 724,023.82 
			 2006-07 653,354.08 
			 2007-08 826,387.29 
			 2008-09 594,313.55 
		
	
	Data for 2004-05 could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Stationery

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proportion of office supplies purchased by his Department were recycled products in the latest period for which figures are available.

Dan Norris: The only data available centrally for expenditure on recycled office supplies are for paper products inclusive of office paper, envelopes and card. Core-DEFRA spent the following amounts on 100 per cent. recycled paper products:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2006-07 114,000 
			 2007-08 99,500 
			 2008-09 92,200 
		
	
	In comparison, expenditure on virgin paper products for these financial years was £9,000, £7,500 and £3,800 respectively.

Departmental Training

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what training courses have been attended by special advisers in his Department in the last 12 months; and at what cost.

Dan Norris: Special advisers receive training as appropriate to enable them to fulfil their duties and responsibilities as set out in the "Model Contract for Special Advisers".

Departmental Work Experience

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many work placements his Department offered to  (a) school pupils,  (b) university students and  (c) graduates in each of the last five years.

Dan Norris: DEFRA has offered 45 university students and 105 graduates work placements over the last five years. We do not keep data on any work placements offered to students between 14 and 18 years old.
	The following table provides the breakdown of the numbers over this period.
	
		
			   Type of candidate 
			   University students  Graduates 
			 2005 13 23 
			 2006 12 17 
			 2007 10 28 
			 2008 5 22 
			 2009 5 15 
			 Total 45 105

Domestic Waste: Recycling

Chris McCafferty: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 30 March 2009,  Official Report, column 841W, on domestic waste: recycling, for what reason  (a) recycling credits relate only to waste collected in the local authority area and  (b) landfill credits may relate to waste collected in other local authority areas.

Dan Norris: holding answer 23 April 2009
	The purpose of the recycling credits scheme is to pass on to recyclers the savings their recycling made in disposal and collection costs that would have been incurred by the authority. This means the party doing the recycling is paid by the authority where the waste originated.
	The Landfill Tax Credit Scheme is now called the Landfill Communities Fund. It is a voluntary scheme whereby landfill site operators can only claim tax (landfill tax) credits for 90 per cent. of contributions (up to 6 per cent. of their annual landfill tax liability) they make to environmental organisations in support of environmental and community projects. One of the aims of the scheme is to redress some of the disadvantages for those living within close vicinity of a landfill site. The scheme is regulated by Entrust and overseen by HM Revenue and Customs.

Fisheries: Environment Protection

Richard Benyon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the locations are of the six environmentally responsible fishing schemes; and when he expects to publish the results of the pilot scheme.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The Environmentally Responsible Fishing pilot scheme is running in three locations: Hartlepool, Lowestoft and the Thames Estuary, with a total of 31 participating vessels. They are operating under an EC derogation from quota rules for fishing vessels engaging in scientific research (Article 2.2 of Council Regulation No 40/2008).
	The pilot scheme is due to finish collecting data in August 2009. It has generated a considerable amount of important data which are being processed and analysed by our project partners CEFAS (Centre for the Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science) and Seafish. Following completion of this process we anticipate a review will be published towards the end of the year.

Fisheries: Environment Protection

Richard Benyon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which individuals and organisations are participating in the Sustainable Access to Inshore Fisheries project.

Huw Irranca-Davies: DEFRA has recently established the Sustainable Access to Inshore Fisheries (SAIF) Project. The project aims to develop a strategy for long-term economic, social and environmental sustainability in the English inshore fishing fleet. There are a wide range of stakeholders involved in the project, including individual fishermen using small vessels, those involved in larger under 10 metre commercial operations and others with an interest in fisheries and community regeneration issues.
	An advisory group has been established to support the work of the project, chaired by Alan Riddell, a former Director for the Department for Communities and Local Government. Alan brings considerable experience of leading regional development and community sustainability. These are issues which are inextricably linked to what we are trying to achieve through SAIF—a thriving and sustainable fishing industry in the future.
	I am delighted that the following individuals have agreed to sit on the panel:
	John Nichols - Fisherman and Member of the New Under Tens Fisherman's Association (NUTFA)
	Phil Walsh- NUTFA
	Gary Hodgson - Fisherman
	Alison Austin - Head of Environmental Affairs, Sainsburys
	Cindy Cahill - Deloitte Consulting
	Steve Colclough - Environment Agency
	Giles Bartlett-World Wildlife Fund
	Alan McCulla - Anglo North Irish Fish Producers Association
	Stefan Glinski - Fisherman
	Tom Pickerell - National Shellfish Association of Great Britain
	Tim Dapling - Sussex Sea Fisheries Committee
	Hazel Curtis - Chief Economist, Seafish Industry Authority (SEAFISH)
	Spike Searle - South West Food and Drink Federation
	David Stevens - Fisherman
	The first meeting of the group will take place on 16 June. I look forward to working closely with the group and the project's wide range of stakeholders over the coming months.

Fisheries: Environment Protection

Richard Benyon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the terms of reference of the Sustainable Access to Inshore Fisheries project are.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The Sustainable Access to Inshore Fisheries (SAIF) Project has been established to develop a strategy for long-term economic, social and environmental sustainability in the English inshore fishing fleet. The project has three phases, expected to run over the next 12-18 months:
	Phase 1—bringing together existing ongoing research into the economic, environmental and social impacts of the fleet. New research will also be commissioned to fill evidence gaps.
	Phase 2—development and appraisal of policy options based upon the findings of commissioned research and input from the advisory group and other stakeholders.
	Phase 3—selecting preferred policy options and working closely with delivery partners to refine and implement our policies.
	The project is supported by an advisory group which will feed into the policy development process, supporting the Minister and officials over the coming months. The group will consider the evidence base and provide views and perspectives on policy proposals as they develop and evolve, particularly with regard to their practical/delivery dimension. Their knowledge and experience will be key to enabling them to provide innovative ideas to tackle the problems facing the fleet, and inform long-term decisions.
	The first meeting of the advisory group will be held on 16 June 2009.

Fishing Vessels

Richard Benyon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs who the members are of each Under 10-Metre Fleet Regional Advisory Council.

Huw Irranca-Davies: There are seven regional advisory councils (RACs) that cover all sea areas of the EU and the activities of those vessels that fish outside EU waters. The purpose of the RACs is to provide stakeholders' advice to the Commission and member states on any aspect of fisheries management under the common fisheries policy (CFP). Representatives of the under 10 metre fleet are free to attend meetings of RACs and are eligible to apply to become members of the councils themselves.

Fly Tipping

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many prosecutions for fly-tipping were  (a) brought and  (b) successful in 2007-08; and what proportion of reported fly-tipping incidents in that year this represented in each case.

Dan Norris: In 2007-08, English local authorities and the Environment Agency reported 1,285,300 fly-tipping incidents on the Flycapture system ranging from single black bags to "significant multiple loads".
	1,966 prosecutions were taken against fly-tippers in 2007-08 which represents 0.15 per cent. of the incidents reported. 1,863 (95 per cent.) of these prosecutions were successful.
	Prosecution figures are only for cases taken through the court system and do not reflect the full range of enforcement actions available to local authorities.
	In 2007-08 local authorities took an additional 179,122 enforcement actions against fly-tippers, consisting of warning letters, statutory notices, fixed penalty notices, formal cautions and injunctions.

Hazardous Substances: Oldbury

Adrian Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when the Rattlechain chemical waste lagoon in Oldbury was last inspected by the Environment Agency; and what percentage of the waste in the lagoon was identified as yellow phosphorus in that inspection. [R]

Dan Norris: The Environment Agency last inspected the Rattlechain chemical waste lagoon in Oldbury on 7 April 2009.
	It is not possible to determine during an inspection the percentage of yellow phosphorus in the deposited waste. Much of the deposits are historic and underwater.
	The site closed in March 2006. Analysis indicates a level of phosphorus in deposited calcium phosphate sludge to be in the order of 0.01 per cent.

Hazardous Substances: Oldbury

Adrian Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions have taken place between the Environment Agency and representatives of Rhodia, Oldbury on the future of wildlife at the Rattlechain chemical waste lagoon.

Dan Norris: The Environment Agency has had ongoing discussions with representatives of Rhodia on the future of the Rattlechain chemical waste lagoon and its associated wildlife since closure as an operational site in March 2006. The waste management licence for the site is, however, still in force and therefore Rhodia is still required to monitor and secure it.
	The Environment Agency is currently discussing with Rhodia what would be required if the company were to surrender the licence.

Hogweed

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will bring forward proposals to classify hogweed as a notifiable weed.

Huw Irranca-Davies: holding answer 12 June 2009
	We have no plans to make either the native hogweed or the invasive non-native giant hogweed "notifiable" weeds.
	The Weeds Act 1959 is a consolidation of earlier legislation concerned with commercial food production. The five weeds covered by the 1959 Act are common ragwort, spear thistle, creeping or field thistle, curled dock and broad-leaved dock. Common ragwort is poisonous to animals, in particular horses. The others, if allowed to spread, compete with and suppress grass and crop plants.
	The five weeds covered by the 1959 Act are not "notifiable" as such and there is no obligation to report their presence to anyone. Complaints about the spread of any of the five weeds will only be investigated on receipt of a properly completed complaint form in accordance with the procedures set out on DEFRA's website.
	The giant hogweed is listed in schedule 9 to the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and it is therefore an offence to introduce it to the wild without a licence.

Hogweed

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the effect of the spread of hogweed on soil fertility.

Huw Irranca-Davies: holding answer 12 June 2009
	No assessments have been made for either the native hogweed or the invasive non-native giant hogweed. While some invasive non-native species are known to affect soil chemistry to prejudice any competing plants, giant hogweed is not believed to have such properties.

Hogweed

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department has taken to inform the public about the potential health hazards of coming into contact with hogweed.

Huw Irranca-Davies: holding answer 12 June 2009
	As part of implementing the Invasive Non-native Species Framework Strategy for Great Britain, we have been producing a suite of identification sheets on key invasive non-native species. These are published on the GB Non-Native Species Secretariat website at:
	www.nonnativespecies.org
	The sheet on giant hogweed clearly advises of the health hazard from contact with its sap. DEFRA also supported the development of the recent CIRIA (construction industry research and information association) guide 'Invasive species management for infrastructure managers and the construction industry' which advises of the hazard associated with giant hogweed. There are numerous other publications and sources of advice that identify this hazard.

Litter: Smoking

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent steps his Department has taken to reduce smoking-related litter.

Jim Fitzpatrick: DEFRA funds Keep Britain Tidy (formerly known as ENCAMS) to carry out the annual Local Environment Quality Survey of England. The results for the seventh survey were published in March 2009 and are available on the Keep Britain Tidy website at:
	www.keepbritaintidy.org
	Smokers' materials remain, by far, the most prevalent item, being present on 78 per cent. of all sites visited. (The survey records only the incidence—that is to say the percentage of sites—where each type of litter occurs; it does not attempt to record the volume.)
	Dropping any smoking-related litter is an offence under section 87 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990. A person found guilty of the litter offence may be fined up to £2,500 in a magistrates court, or, as an alternative to prosecution, issued with an on the spot fixed penalty notice of between £50 and £80. Litter can blight neighbourhoods and the minority who choose to drop it on the ground, rather than put it in a bin, have no excuse for their behaviour.
	Through its funding of Keep Britain Tidy, the Government support behavioural change and awareness changing campaigns, as well as providing guidance to local authorities.

Marine Management Organisation: Manpower

Richard Benyon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many members of staff of the Marine and Fisheries Agency have agreed to transfer to the Marine Management Organisation headquarters in Tyneside.

Huw Irranca-Davies: We will expect to know final numbers of MFA staff moving to the new headquarters once the relocation decision making exercise is completed. There will be a recruitment exercise to fill any vacancies created by the MFA headquarters relocation.
	Subject to the passage of the Marine and Coastal Access Bill the new HQ will then form the headquarters of the Marine Management Organisation.

National Poultry Register

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what information is stored on the national poultry register.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Great Britain Poultry Register continues to take and update registrations of premises with 50 birds or over. We encourage premises with less than 50 birds to register on a voluntary basis.
	Applicants must provide their personal details, their county parish holding number (if applicable), the number and species of poultry that are usually on the premises, the type of housing provided for the birds and the purpose for which the birds are being reared. Applicants are also asked for some essential information that can assist risk assessment, for example, whether the poultry have access to the open air or whether there are bodies of water close by that attract wild birds.
	Applicants must also provide information regarding the number of workers in day to day contact with birds. This information is used by the Health Protection Agency to provide vaccination to workers in the event of an Avian Influenza outbreak.

Pets: Vaccination

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what his Department's policy is on the vaccination of animals kept as pets.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Under the Pet Travel Scheme, pets (principally dogs and cats) from certain 'listed countries' can enter the UK without spending time in quarantine if they have been identified using a microchip, vaccinated against rabies and blood tested to ensure that the vaccination has been effective. Pets from 'listed countries' can enter and move freely within the UK six months after a successful blood test, as long as they meet certain other tick and tapeworm-treatment requirements.
	Similarly, UK pets can travel to member states of the EU and return to the UK provided they have received appropriate rabies vaccination and have met the other requirements of the Pet Travel Scheme.
	There are no other statutory requirements for owners to vaccinate their pets in the UK. However, under the Animal Welfare Act, all pet owners have a responsibility in relation to the health of their pets and we endorse the recommendations of the British Veterinary Association (BVA) for an appropriate vaccination programme to protect pets in the UK from a range of diseases. We strongly encourage anyone responsible for a pet to discuss their pet's necessary vaccinations and other health needs with their veterinary surgeon.
	A BVA guide, "Best of Care", is available free of charge for people looking to take on the responsibility of pet ownership. This guide can be downloaded on the BVA website.

Poaching

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many instances of poaching in  (a) North Yorkshire and  (b) England have been reported to his Department in each of the last five years.

Jim Fitzpatrick: DEFRA does not record this information. However, partly in response to reports of poaching received by the National Wildlife Crime Unit through police forces, poaching is one of the UK wildlife crime priorities for 2009 and measures to tackle it have been stepped up. If DEFRA received reports of poaching, either the information would be passed to the police, or the person reporting the activity would be advised to contact the police.

Rabbits

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of regulations governing the welfare of farmed rabbits; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what recent research his Department has  (a) conducted and  (b) evaluated on the rabbit farming industry;
	(3)  if he will bring forward proposals to increase the minimum requirements for space allowed to farmed rabbits.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The welfare of farmed rabbits is adequately provided for by way of the general provisions of the Animal Welfare Act 2006 and the Welfare of Farmed Animals (England) Regulations 2007, which has a specific schedule relating to rabbit welfare. DEFRA also has a welfare code for rabbits which provides good husbandry advice, which producers have by law to be familiar with and have access to.
	DEFRA has not carried out any recent research on what is a relatively small rabbit farming industry.
	The Council of Europe's Convention on the Protection of Animals Kept for Farming Purposes is currently developing recommendations for the welfare of farmed rabbits, which will include provision for space allowances.

Recycling: Drinks

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the merits of introducing a national deposit and return scheme for drinks containers.

Dan Norris: I refer the hon. Member to the answer my right hon. Friend the Member for Liverpool, Wavertree (Jane Kennedy), that the then Minister of State, gave to the hon. Member for Stroud (Mr. Drew) on 13 May 2009,  Official Report, column 759W.

Recycling: Supermarkets

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many meetings representatives from his Department have had with supermarkets to discuss recycling in the last 12 months.

Dan Norris: DEFRA has met with a number of supermarkets over the past 12 months to discuss the recycling of packaging. As part of the development of the packaging strategy, DEFRA held two stakeholder workshops last year which were attended by supermarkets as well as other industries involved in the packaging chain. In addition to this, supermarkets are represented on both the Advisory Committee on Packaging and the Packaging Recycling Action Group, which discuss a range of issues concerning packaging and packaging waste.
	DEFRA has also met with supermarkets to discuss recycling in general on two occasions over the last 12 months.

Renewable Energy: Waste

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the merits of amending section 1.1 of the Environmental Permitting Regulations 2007 to  (a) take into account the Court of Appeal ruling in the OSS Group  v. Environment Agency case and  (b) to ensure that used cooking oil that has obtained an End of Waste classification from the Environment Agency is treated as a virgin oil; and if he will make a statement.

Dan Norris: The question of whether any particular waste has been fully recovered and has ceased to be waste must be determined on the facts of the case and taking into account relevant case law on the definition of waste. The Environment Agency is responsible for the implementation of waste management controls in England and Wales. However, schedule 1, part 2, section 1.1 of the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2007 applies to fuel manufactured from waste regardless of whether the waste from which it has been manufactured has been fully recovered and has ceased to be waste.
	This section was contained in predecessor regulations dating back to the last decade. No assessment of its impact specifically on used cooking oil has been carried out. DEFRA has no plans to change this section of the regulations.

Sheep

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the number of sheep in England in each year since 1997.

Jim Fitzpatrick: holding answer 12 June 2009
	The number of sheep (including lambs) in England since 1997 can be found in the following table.
	
		
			   Total sheep and lambs 
			 1997 19,464,635 
			 1998 20,175,458 
			 1999 20,273,586 
			 2000 19,144,345 
			 2001 16,139,534 
			 2002 15,396,793 
			 2003 15,704,438 
			 2004 15,872,915 
			 2005 15,877,451 
			 2006 15,673,409 
			 2007 15,436,577 
			 2008 15,535,215 
			  Source: June 2008 Agricultural and Horticultural Survey

Trapping

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what his policy is on the practice of snaring; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Government consider that where there is a need for wildlife management then the proper use of snares is one of a range of control methods. Used according to best practice, snares can be an effective and practical means of wildlife management and are needed where other forms of pest control are ineffective or impractical. Self-locking snares have been banned for over 20 years and continue to be so.
	The Animal Welfare Act 2006 contains strong protection for animals under the control of man to help prevent unnecessary suffering including any animal held in a snare.
	The "Defra Code of Good Practice on the use of Snares in Fox and Rabbit Control in England", published in 2005 details the legal obligations for people using snares in England and provides guidance on responsible use.
	DEFRA commissioned a research project, beginning on 1 February 2008, to determine the extent of use and humaneness of snares in England and Wales. The project aims to provide a more informed basis for future discussions and policy decisions on snares.

Trees: Merseyside

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much funding his Department allocated for the preservation of trees in  (a) Crosby and  (b) Merseyside in each year since 1997.

Ian Austin: I have been asked to reply.
	Local planning authorities are responsible for making and administering tree preservation orders. Funding for this function is contained in the revenue support grant and is not ring-fenced. The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Water Charges: Voluntary Organisations

Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what guidance he has issued to Ofwat on surface water drainage charges for  (a) voluntary,  (b) religious,  (c) sporting and  (d) not-for-profit organisations.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The Government issued guidance to Ofwat in 2000 on delivering the Government's objectives in the Water Industry Act 1999. This included guidance on surface water drainage charges. A copy is available in the Library of the House.

Water: East of England

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much funding his Department has allocated to reducing water consumption in  (a) Mid Bedfordshire constituency and  (b) the East of England in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Huw Irranca-Davies: DEFRA does not provide direct funding to reduce water consumption in specific areas. However, the Department is supporting a media campaign to be launched this summer that will encourage water efficiency under the Act on CO2 banner. In addition, DEFRA has funded research to support the aims of the Water Saving Group, including work on developing the evidence base for water efficiency projects, improving water efficiency in new buildings, and introducing water efficiency targets. To encourage resource efficiency in business, DEFRA jointly runs the enhanced capital allowance (ECA) scheme for water efficient technologies which provides accelerated tax relief to businesses investing in designated water saving technologies.

World Oceans Day

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what events his Department  (a) supported and  (b) participated in relating to World Oceans Day on 8 June 2009.

Huw Irranca-Davies: On World Oceans Day, the Marine and Coastal Access Bill had its Third Reading in the House of Lords. This Bill is a ground-breaking piece of legislation that aims to deliver a change in the way the UK manages its marine resources, and sets an excellent example to other nations. The Department also supports numerous events relating to our seas throughout the year.

LEADER OF THE HOUSE

Members: Allowances

Roger Berry: To ask the Leader of the House what external  (a) legal and  (b) accountancy advice her Office has sought on the operation of the Members' Allowances scheme in the last six years.

Barbara Keeley: The Office of the Leader of the House has taken no external legal or accountancy advice on this subject and has no plans to do so.

Members: Allowances

David Amess: To ask the Leader of the House how many  (a) debates and  (b) votes there have been in the House on the subject of hon. Members' allowances since 1983.

Barbara Keeley: It is not possible to provide an answer without incurring a disproportionate cost.

Parliamentary Procedure

David Amess: To ask the Leader of the House what the  (a) date,  (b) time and  (c) number voting in each lobby was in each division which took place after 11pm in each Session (i) from 1983-84 to 1997-98 and (ii) since 1999-2000.

Barbara Keeley: It is not possible to provide an answer without incurring a disproportionate cost.

Parliamentary Procedure

David Amess: To ask the Leader of the House how many speeches were given by each of the 30 hon. and right hon. Members who delivered the most speeches in the Chamber in Session  (a) 1983-84,  (b) 1987-88,  (c) 1991-92,  (d) 1997-98,  (e) 2001-02,  (f) 2005-06 and  (g) 2008-09.

Barbara Keeley: It is not possible to provide an answer without incurring a disproportionate cost.

Parliamentary Procedure

David Amess: To ask the Leader of the House what the  (a) average hour of rising of the House,  (b) number of divisions,  (c) number of public bills (i) passed and (ii) reported from Standing or Public Bill Committee,  (d) number of affirmative statutory instruments (A) debated in Standing Committee and (B) debated on the Floor of the House,  (e) number of prayers against statutory instruments (1) debated in Standing Committee and (2) debated on the Floor of the House,  (f) number of Opposition days and  (g) number of Bills guillotined or programmed was in the first 100 sitting days of Session (u) 1983-84, (v) 1984-85, (w) 1997-98, (x) 1998-99, (y) 2005-06 and (z) 2006-07.

Barbara Keeley: It has not been possible to source all of the information requested as this would incur disproportionate cost. However I am able to provide the following information:
	
		
			   1983-84  1984-85  1997-98  1998-99  2005-06  2006-07 
			  (a) Average hour of rising of the House n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			  (b) Number of divisions n/a 307 380 323 343 221 
			
			  (c) Number of public Bills 178 153 209 144 174 129 
			  (c) (i) Number of public Bills passed 73 75 62 99 57 33 
			  (c) (ii) Number of public Bills reported from Standing or Public Bill Committee n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			
			  (d) Number of affirmative SIs n/a n/a 225 178 271 223 
			  (d) (A) Number of affirmative SIs debated in Standing Committee n/a n/a 168 149 241 186 
			  (d) (B) Number of affirmative SIs debated on the floor of the House n/a n/a 30 21 19 10 
			
			  (e) Number of prayers against SIs n/a n/a 300 51 41 17 
			  (e) (1) Number of prayers against SIs debated in Standing Committee n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			  (e) (2) Number of prayers against SIs debated on the floor of the House n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			
			  (f) Number of opposition days 23 28 20 21 20 20 
			  (g) Number of Bills guillotined or programmed within first 100 days of Session 0 1 4 2 n/a n/a

Private Members Bills

David Amess: To ask the Leader of the House which Private Members' Bills have been referred to a Second Reading Committee in each Session since 1988-89.

Barbara Keeley: The Raoul Wallenberg (Memorial) Bill in the 1989-90 Session is the only example of a Private Member's Bill which has been referred to a second Reading Committee since the 1988-89 Session.

HEALTH

Abortion

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many women seeking an abortion in England gave addresses in  (a) Northern Ireland,  (b) the Republic of Ireland,  (c) the State of Israel,  (d) Malta and  (e) Poland in 2008.

Gillian Merron: Information can be found in 'Abortion Statistics, England and Wales, 2008', in Table 12a. The. document has been placed in the Library. In England and Wales, in 2008, there were 1,173 abortions for residents of Northern Ireland, 4,600 for residents of the Republic of Ireland, 38 for residents of Malta and 30 for residents of Poland. There were less than five (between 0 and four) abortions for residents of Israel.

Abortion

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many abortions have been performed under the Abortion Act 1967 in each year since 1991; and how many and what percentage were performed  (a) to save the life of the mother and  (b) where the child would have been seriously disabled in each such year.

Gillian Merron: The information is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Abortions by grounds( 1) , residents, England and Wales, 1991-2008 
			   Section 1(4)  Section 1(1)(c)  Section 1(1)(d)  
			   Total  Total  Percentage  Total  Percentage  Total all abortions 
			 1991 5 375 0.2 1,710 1.0 167,376 
			 1992 2 254 0.2 1,802 1.1 160,501 
			 1993 3 163 0.1 1,935 1.2 157,846 
			 1994 1 146 0.1 1,796 1.1 156,539 
			 1995 0 126 0.1 1,823 1.2 154,315 
			 1996 3 128 0.1 1,929 1.1 167,916 
			 1997 4 117 0.1 1,853 1.1 170,145 
			 1998 2 106 0.1 1,830 1.0 177,871 
			 1999 1 94 0.1 1,813 1.0 173,701 
			 2000 3 134 0.1 1,833 1.0 175,542 
			 2001 0 61 0.0 1,722 1.0 176,364 
			 2002 1 116 0.1 1,894 1.1 175,932 
			 2003 (2)— (3)137 0.1 1,941 1.1 181,582 
			 2004 (2)— (3)128 0.1 1,894 1.0 185,415 
			 2005 (2)— (3)128 0.1 1,916 1.0 186,416 
			 2006 (2)— 149 0.1 (3)2,036 1.1 193,737 
			 2007 (2)— 112 0.1 (3)1,939 1.0 198,499 
			 2008 (2)— 51 0.0 (3)1,988 1.0 195,296 
			 Total 25 (3)2,525 0.1 (3)33,654 1.1 3,154,993 
			 (1) Grounds under the Abortion Act 1967: Section 1(4) that the termination is immediately necessary to save the life or to prevent grave permanent injury to the physical or mental health of the pregnant woman. Section 1(1)(c) that the continuance of the pregnancy would involve risk to the life of the pregnant woman, greater than if the pregnancy were terminated; or Section 1(1)(d): that there is a substantial risk that if the child were born it would suffer from such physical or mental abnormalities as to be seriously handicapped (2) Suppressed value less than 10 (0 to 9 cases). Data suppressed for reasons of confidentiality, in line with the Office for National Statistics' guidance on the disclosure of abortion statistics (2005). (3) Total includes very small numbers less than 10 (0 to 9) where suppressed elsewhere.

Abortion

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the abortion rate per 1,000 women aged  (a) 19,  (b) 18,  (c) 17,  (d) 16,  (e) 15,  (f) 14 and  (g) under 14 years was in 2007-08; and what forecast he has made of the rate in each of the next 10 years.

Gillian Merron: The information is shown in the following table.
	The reasons women seek an abortion are complex and may be subject to a number of different factors. The 2008 abortion statistics show a decrease in the number of abortions performed in younger women. The Government invested £26.8 million in 2008-09 and will be investing £20.5 million in 2009-10 to improve women's access to contraception and help reduce the number of abortions, repeat abortions and teenage pregnancies.
	
		
			  Abortion rates by age under 20, England and Wales, residents, 2007 and 2008 
			  Abortion rate per 1,000 women 
			  Age  2007  2008 
			 19 36 36 
			 18 32 33 
			 17 27 27 
			 16 19 18 
			 15 9 9 
			 14 3 3 
			 under 14 n/a n/a

Abortion

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which 10 primary care organisations had the  (a) highest and  (b) lowest abortion rates in England per 1,000 women aged (i) under 16, (ii) 17, (iii) 18, (iv) 19, (v) 20 and (vi) 21 years in 2008.

Gillian Merron: The information is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Highest and lowest abortion rates by primary care organisation and age, England, 2008 
			  Age rate  Primary care organisation  Rate per 1,000 women 
			  Under 16( 1) England 4 
			   Lowest rates  
			  Kingston (2)— 
			  Tower Hamlets (2)— 
			  Richmond and Twickenham (2)— 
			  Harrow (2)— 
			  West Hertfordshire 2 
			  North Yorkshire and York 2 
			  Devon 2 
			  Berkshire West 2 
			  Cambridgeshire 2 
			  Somerset 2 
			
			   Highest rates  
			  Torbay 8 
			  Barnsley 8 
			  Lambeth 8 
			  Lewisham 8 
			  Darlington 8 
			  Islington 8 
			  Rotherham 8 
			  Manchester 9 
			  Greenwich Teaching 11 
			  Southwark 11 
			
			  16 years England 18 
			   Lowest rates  
			  North Somerset 9 
			  Berkshire West 9 
			  Lincolnshire 9 
			  Harrow 10 
			  Cambridgeshire 10 
			  Mid Essex 10 
			  Berkshire East 10 
			  Redcar and Cleveland 11 
			  Derbyshire County 11 
			  West Hertfordshire 11 
			
			   Highest rates  
			  Darlington 30 
			  Havering 31 
			  Islington 31 
			  Coventry Teaching 31 
			  City and Hackney Teaching 32 
			  Southwark 34 
			  Camden 36 
			  Torbay 37 
			  Lambeth 37 
			  Lewisham 40 
			
			  17 years England 27 
			   Lowest rates  
			  Isle of Wight NHS 12 
			  Cambridgeshire 14 
			  Suffolk 15 
			  Surrey 16 
			  Oxfordshire 17 
			  West Hertfordshire 18 
			  North Somerset 18 
			  North Lincolnshire 18 
			  Bath and North East Somerset 18 
			  Buckinghamshire 18 
			
			   Highest rates  
			  Croydon 47 
			  City and Hackney Teaching 47 
			  Barking and Dagenham 47 
			  Torbay 49 
			  Waltham Forest 50 
			  Haringey Teaching 50 
			  Coventry Teaching 51 
			  Lewisham 53 
			  Southwark 53 
			  Lambeth 54 
			
			  18 years England 33 
			   Lowest rates  
			  Oxfordshire 18 
			  Redcar and Cleveland 19 
			  North Lancashire Teaching 19 
			  Isle of Wight NHS 21 
			  Dorset 21 
			  Worcestershire 22 
			  Gloucestershire 22 
			  Bath and North East Somerset 22 
			  Northumberland 23 
			  Wiltshire 23 
			
			   Highest rates  
			  Croydon 52 
			  Coventry Teaching 54 
			  Waltham Forest 58 
			  Enfield 58 
			  Haringey Teaching 63 
			  Lambeth 65 
			  Greenwich Teaching 68 
			  Lewisham 69 
			  Barking and Dagenham 71 
			  Southwark 89 
			
			  19 years England 34 
			   Lowest rates  
			  Bath and North East Somerset 16 
			  Oxfordshire 19 
			  County Durham 19 
			  Cambridgeshire 19 
			  Nottingham City 21 
			  North Lancashire Teaching 21 
			  Devon 21 
			  East Riding of Yorkshire 22 
			  Newcastle 23 
			  Plymouth Teaching 24 
			
			   Highest rates  
			  Newham 57 
			  Havering 61 
			  Enfield 64 
			  Greenwich Teaching 67 
			  Croydon 68 
			  Lewisham 70 
			  Barking and Dagenham 72 
			  Southwark 72 
			  Waltham Forest 73 
			  Lambeth 90 
			
			  20 years England 36 
			   Lowest rates  
			  Cambridgeshire 17 
			  South Tyneside 18 
			  County Durham 18 
			  Nottingham City 19 
			  Newcastle 20 
			  Plymouth Teaching 20 
			  Bath and North East Somerset 20 
			  North Lancashire Teaching 21 
			  Devon 22 
			  North Staffordshire 22 
			
			   Highest rates  
			  Lewisham 63 
			  Southwark 63 
			  Waltham Forest 66 
			  Croydon 67 
			  Haringey Teaching 67 
			  Enfield 67 
			  Brent Teaching 69 
			  Hammersmith and Fulham 70 
			  Barking and Dagenham 79 
			  Lambeth 91 
			
			  21 years England 34 
			   Lowest rates  
			  Oxfordshire 14 
			  South Tyneside 15 
			  Bath and North East Somerset 16 
			  Bristol 17 
			  Cambridgeshire 18 
			  Devon 18 
			  North Lancashire Teaching 18 
			  Norfolk 19 
			  North East Essex 20 
			  County Durham 20 
			
			   Highest rates  
			  Croydon 63 
			  Brent Teaching 63 
			  Lewisham 63 
			  Enfield 64 
			  Waltham Forest 68 
			  Southwark 72 
			  City and Hackney Teaching 73 
			  Haringey Teaching 74 
			  Barking and Dagenham 78 
			  Lambeth 86 
			 (1) Rates for under 16s are based on populations aged 13-15. (2) Suppressed value where rate is based on a total less than 10  Note: Rates for PCOs are based on 2007 mid year population estimates.

Abortion

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which 10 primary care organisations had the  (a) highest and  (b) lowest abortion rates in England per 1,000 women aged 15 to 44 years in 2007.

Gillian Merron: Information for 2007 is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Highest and lowest abortion rates by primary care organisation, England, 2007 
			Age standardised rate per 1,000 women resident, aged 15-44( 1) 
			  England 18.8 
			
			  Lowest rates   
			 5PP Cambridgeshire 11 
			 5ND County Durham 12 
			 5NF North Lancashire Teaching 12 
			 5FL Bath and North East Somerset 13 
			 5PW North East Essex 13 
			 5QE Oxfordshire 13 
			 5NW East Riding of Yorkshire 13 
			 5PT Suffolk 13 
			 5NV North Yorkshire and York 13 
			 5PH North Staffordshire 13 
			
			  Highest rates   
			 5C9 Haringey Teaching 32 
			 5K9 Croydon 33 
			 5K5 Brent Teaching 35 
			 5A8 Greenwich Teaching 35 
			 5NC Waltham Forest 36 
			 5C3 City and Hackney Teaching 36 
			 5LF Lewisham 37 
			 5LD Lambeth 39 
			 5C2 Barking and Dagenham 40 
			 5LE Southwark 41 
			 (1) Rates for PCOs are based on 2006 mid-year population estimates.

Abortion

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 23 April 2009,  Official Report, columns 830-32W, on abortion, what the characteristics were of the statistically most likely candidate in  (a) England and  (b) each health authority for an abortion in 2008 in terms of (i) the marital status of the woman, (ii) the age of the woman, (iii) the gestation of the pregnancy, (iv) the number of previous children borne by the woman, (v) the number of previous abortions undergone by the woman and (vi) the legal grounds under which the abortion was performed.

Gillian Merron: The information is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Most common( 1)  conditions for women having abortions in 2008, by strategic health authority of residence 
			   Marital status  Age  Gestation (weeks)  Number of previous children  Number of previous abortions  Ground 
			 England Single with partner 20 7 0 0 C 
			
			 East Midlands Single with partner 20 8 0 0 C 
			 East of England Single with partner 18 8 0 0 C 
			 London Single with partner 24 7 0 0 C 
			 North East Single with partner 19 7 0 0 C 
			 North West Single no partner 20 6 0 0 C 
			 South Central Single with partner 20 7 0 0 C 
			 South East Coast Single with partner 19 7 0 0 C 
			 South West Single with partner 20 8 0 0 C 
			 West Midlands Single no partner 21 7 0 0 C 
			 Yorkshire and Humber Single with partner 20 8 0 0 C 
			 (1) Statistical mode (highest frequency).   Note:  Ground C: that the pregnancy has not exceeded its 24th week and that the continuance of the pregnancy would involve risk, greater than if the pregnancy were terminated, of injury to the physical or mental health of the pregnant woman.

Abortion: Essex

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many abortions were performed in  (a) Southend and  (b) Essex in 2008, broken down by (i) age of the women, (ii) grounds of the abortion and (iii) gestation of the pregnancy.

Gillian Merron: The information is shown in the following tables.
	
		
			  Abortions for residents of Essex primary care trusts (PCTs)( 1)  by age, ground and gestation, 2008 
			  Age  South East Essex  North East Essex  Mid Essex  South West Essex  West Essex  Total Essex PCTs 
			 Under 16 24 16 19 36 15 110 
			 16 37 25 24 54 34 174 
			 17 53 38 55 60 45 251 
			 18 61 57 70 95 79 362 
			 19 71 54 57 103 72 357 
			 20 68 56 52 83 58 317 
			 21 66 45 49 107 71 338 
			 22 59 46 43 102 47 297 
			 23 55 39 46 89 48 277 
			 24 43 40 54 79 54 270 
			 25 50 34 37 65 40 226 
			 26 38 35 24 70 39 206 
			 27 40 25 45 77 46 233 
			 28 41 28 29 74 46 218 
			 29 33 18 27 61 33 172 
			 30 37 20 26 61 38 182 
			 31 28 21 35 33 34 151 
			 32 28 18 22 44 32 144 
			 33 25 26 25 57 33 166 
			 34 38 17 26 42 21 144 
			 35 36 23 29 34 29 151 
			 36 22 14 26 32 37 131 
			 37 24 17 19 30 29 119 
			 38 and over 71 48 93 123 107 442 
			 Total 1,048 760 932 1,611 1,087 5,438 
		
	
	
		
			  Grounds( 2)  South East Essex  North East Essex  Mid Essex  South West Essex  West Essex  Total Essex PCTs 
			 Section 1(1)(a) 1,038 (3)— 903 (3)— 890 5,188 
			 Section 1(1)(d) (3)— (3)— (3)— (3)— (3)— 42 
			 Other grounds (3)— (3)— (3)— (3)— (3)— 208 
			 Total 1,048 760 932 1,611 1,087 5,438 
		
	
	
		
			  Gestation weeks  South East Essex  North East Essex  Mid Essex  South West Essex  West Essex  Total Essex PCTs 
			 Under 6 120 35 130 223 187 695 
			 6 186 55 170 293 211 915 
			 7 237 127 164 363 204 1095 
			 8 171 181 183 253 116 904 
			 9 107 128 83 159 114 591 
			 10 74 78 76 112 90 430 
			 11 46 49 32 49 39 215 
			 12 34 22 20 36 33 145 
			 13 15 19 15 36 29 114 
			 14 and over 58 66 59 87 64 334 
			 Total 1,048 760 932 1,611 1,087 5,438 
			 (1) Information about residents of Southend is contained within South East Essex PCT and is not collected separately. (2) Section 1(1)(a): that the pregnancy has not exceeded its 24(th) week and that the continuance of the pregnancy would involve risk, greater than if the pregnancy were terminated, of injury to the physical or mental health of the pregnant woman or any existing children of her family, Section 1(1)(d): that there is a substantial risk that if the child were born it would suffer from such physical or mental abnormalities as to be seriously handicapped. Other grounds: Section 1(1)(b): that the termination is necessary to prevent grave permanent injury to the physical or mental health of the pregnant woman, Section 1(1)(c): that the continuance of the pregnancy would involve risk to the life of the pregnant woman, greater than if the pregnancy were terminated, Section 1(4): that the termination is immediately necessary to save the life or to prevent grave permanent injury to the physical or mental health of the pregnant woman. (3) Suppressed total less than 10 (between 0 and 9) or where a presented total would reveal a suppressed value.

Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people in each strategic health authority area were admitted to hospital with  (a) primary and  (b) secondary diagnosis of alcohol-related disease in each year from 1997-98 to 2007-08.

Gillian Merron: The number in the following tables relate to admissions, rather than people.
	There are two columns for each year—admissions with a primary alcohol-related diagnosis and all alcohol-related admissions. The information is normally published in this way. The information in the second column is intended as a meaningful estimate of the total impact on hospital admissions from alcohol consumption.
	Because of a change of methodology, information is only available from 2002-03 to 2007-08.
	
		
			  Number of finished admissions of patients with an alcohol-related condition 
			   2002-03  2003-04  2004-05 
			  Residents in England  With alcohol-related primary diagnosis  Total (with primary or secondary diagnosis)  With alcohol-related primary diagnosis  Total (with primary or secondary diagnosis)  With alcohol-related primary diagnosis  Total (with primary or secondary diagnosis) 
			 North East 9,559 34,013 10,086 38,284 10,491 43,919 
			 Northwest 23,731 92,339 25,331 102,841 26,329 114,946 
			 Yorkshire and The Humber 15,236 56,131 15,759 61,421 16,057 66,684 
			 East Midlands 12,081 47,789 12,767 51,871 13,467 56,928 
			 West Midlands 15,896 46,610 17,392 53,562 19,113 63,692 
			 East of England 12,496 49,754 13,596 56,430 14,538 63,472 
			 London 18,298 56,852 19,616 64,140 21,162 74,522 
			 South East Coast SHA 10,197 38,509 10,269 41,722 11,303 46,802 
			 South Central SHA 8,352 27,338 8,898 31,513 9,732 36,032 
			 Southwest 13,943 55,559 15,043 62,269 15,736 70,278 
			 No fixed abode/unknown 1,930 5,279 1,823 5,364 2,314 6,908 
			 Total 141,718 510,173 150,580 569,417 160,241 644,185 
		
	
	
		
			   2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			  Residents in England  With alcohol-related primary diagnosis  Total (with primary or secondary diagnosis)  With alcohol-related primary diagnosis  Total (with primary or secondary diagnosis)  With alcohol-related primary diagnosis  Total (with primary or secondary diagnosis) 
			 North East 10,731 50,579 10,983 55,510 10,674 60,755 
			 Northwest 29,172 129,919 30,376 141,493 31,335 151,428 
			 Yorkshire and The Humber 17,255 72,870 17,271 77,454 17,987 83,443 
			 East Midlands 14,800 62,722 15,451 67,710 15,390 74,340 
			 West Midlands 20,645 76,778 22,590 88,490 20,101 91,537 
			 East of England 15,530 72,622 15,836 77,808 16,435 84,712 
			 London 23,050 87,428 24,154 96,194 23,836 102,029 
			 South East Coast SHA 12,022 54,833 12,603 60,074 13,274 66,025 
			 South Central SHA 10,503 41,219 9,972 41,889 10,588 48,201 
			 Southwest 16,851 77,755 17,384 83,415 17,920 88,394 
			 No fixed abode/unknown 3,074 8,787 3,062 9,082 3,805 12,400 
			 Total 173,633 735.512 179,681 799,120 181,345 863,264 
			  Notes: Includes activity in English NHS Hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector.  Small numbers To protect patient confidentiality, figures between 1 and 5 have been suppressed and replaced with "*" (an asterisk). Where it was possible to identify numbers from the total due to a single suppressed number in a row or column, an additional number (the next smallest) has been suppressed.  Alcohol-related admissions The number of alcohol-related admissions is based on the methodology developed by the North West Public Health Observatory. Figures for under 16s only include admissions where one or more of the following alcohol-specific conditions were listed: Alcoholic cardiomyopathy (142.6) Alcoholic gastritis (K29.2) Alcoholic liver disease (K70) Alcoholic myopathy (G72.1) Alcoholic polyneuropathy (G62.1) Alcohol-induced pseudo-Cushing's syndrome (E24.4) Chronic pancreatitis (alcohol induced) (K86.0) Degeneration of nervous system due to alcohol (G31.2) Mental and behavioural disorders due to use of alcohol (F10) Accidental poisoning by and exposure to alcohol (X45) Ethanol poisoning (T51.0) Methanol poisoning (T51.1) Toxic effect of alcohol, unspecified (T51.9)  Number of episodes in which the patient had an alcohol-related primary or secondary diagnosis These figures represent the number of episodes where an alcohol-related diagnosis was recorded in any of the 20 (14 from 2002-03 to 2006-07 and seven prior to 2002-03) primary and secondary diagnosis fields in a Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) record. Each episode is only counted once in each count, even if an alcohol-related diagnosis is recorded in more than one diagnosis field of the record.  Ungrossed data Figures have not been adjusted for shortfalls in data (i.e. the data are ungrossed).  Finished admission episodes A finished admission episode is the first period of in-patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. Finished admission episodes are counted against the year in which the admission episode finishes. Admissions do not represent the number of in-patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year.  Primary diagnosis The primary diagnosis is the first of up to 20 (14 from 2002-03 to 2006-07 and seven prior to 2002-03) diagnosis fields in the (HES) data set and provides the main reason why the patient was admitted to hospital.  Secondary diagnosis As well as the primary diagnosis, there are up to 19 (13 from 2002-03 to 2007-08 and six prior to 2002-03) secondary diagnosis fields in HES that show other diagnoses relevant to the episode of care.  Data quality HES are compiled from data sent by more than 300 NHS trusts and primary care trusts in England. Data is also received from a number of independent sector organisations for activity commissioned by the English NHS. The NHS Information Centre for health and social care liaises closely with these organisations to encourage submission of complete and valid data and seeks to minimise inaccuracies and the effect of missing and invalid data via HES processes. While this brings about improvement over time, some shortcomings remain.  Assessing growth through time HES figures are available from 1989-90 onwards. The quality and coverage of the data have improved over time. These improvements in information submitted by the NHS have been particularly marked in the earlier years and need to be borne in mind when analysing time series. Some of the increase in figures for later years (particularly 2006-07 onwards) may be due to the improvement in the coverage of independent sector activity. Changes in NHS practice also need to be borne in mind when analysing time series. For example, a number of procedures may now be undertaken in out-patient settings and may no longer be accounted for in the HES data. This may account for any reductions in activity over time.  Assignment of Episodes to Years Years are assigned by the end of the first period of care in a patient's hospital stay.  Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), The NHS Information Centre for health and social care.

Barking Havering and Redbridge Hospitals NHS Trust

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much has been spent by the Barking, Havering and Redbridge NHS Trust on debt collection agencies in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: The information requested is not collected centrally. The hon. Member may therefore wish to raise this directly with Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust.

Barking Havering and Redbridge Hospitals NHS Trust

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many foreign nationals who have not provided payment to the NHS towards the cost of their treatment have had children treated in  (a) NHS trusts in England and  (b) Barking, Havering and Redbridge NHS Trust in each of the last five years.

Ann Keen: It is not possible to provide the information requested. Successive governments have not required the national health service to provide statistics on the number of foreign nationals seen, treated or charged under the provisions of the NHS (Charges to Overseas Visitors) Regulations 1989, as amended, nor any costs involved.
	The hon. Member may therefore wish to raise this directly with Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust to obtain data from that trust.

Barking Havering and Redbridge Hospitals NHS Trust

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will hold discussions with representatives from the Barking, Havering and Redbridge NHS Trust on payments owed to the Trust by foreign nationals.

Ann Keen: The recovery of payment owed to national health service trusts by foreign nationals for treatment provided to them is a matter for the individual trust. The National Health Service (Charges to Overseas Visitors) Regulations 1989, as amended, set out the criteria for eligibility for free NHS hospital care. It is the legal responsibility of all hospital trusts to ensure that the eligibility of all patients seeking treatment is confirmed and, if they are not eligible for free healthcare, that the appropriate charges for treatment are levied and subsequently recovered. The Department has provided comprehensive guidance on implementation of the charging regulations to help the NHS to discharge their responsibilities.

Blood: Contamination

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people have  (a) died and  (b) contracted sepsis as a result of receiving bacterially contaminated transfused blood products in the last five years.

Gillian Merron: Data on adverse reactions from blood products are collected by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), as for any medicinal product. MHRA has received no reports of infection arising from bacterial contamination of transfused blood products during the past five years.

Christie Hospital Manchester: Bank Services

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent representations he has made to the Financial Services Compensation scheme on behalf of the Christie Hospital.

Mike O'Brien: None.

Dental Services: Essex

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS dentists there were in  (a) Essex and  (b) Castle Point in each of the last five years.

Ann Keen: The numbers of national health service dentists, as at 31 March, 1997 to 2006 are available in Annex E of the NHS Dental Activity and Workforce Report England: 31 March 2006. Information is available by strategic health authority (SHA) and by primary care trust (PCT). Annex G contains information by parliamentary constituency.
	This measure counted the number of NHS dentists recorded on PCT lists as at 31 March each year. This information is based on the old contractual arrangements, which were in place up to and including 31 March 2006. This report, published on 23 August 2006, has already been placed in the Library and is also available on the NHS Information Centre website at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/dwfactivity
	The numbers of dentists with NHS activity during the years ending 31 March, 2007 and 2008 are available in Table G1 of Annex 3 of the NHS Dental Statistics for England: 2007-08 report. Information is provided by SHA and by PCT but is not available by constituency. This information is based on the new dental contractual arrangements, introduced on 1 April 2006. This report, published on 21 August 2008, has already been placed in the Library and is also available on the NHS Information Centre website at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/dental0708
	Following a recent consultation exercise, this measure is based on a revised methodology and therefore supersedes previously published workforce figures relating to the new dental contractual arrangements. It is not comparable to the information collected under the old contractual arrangements. This revised methodology counted the number of dental performers with NHS activity recorded via FP17 claim forms in each year ending 31 March.
	Further work is currently being undertaken to determine whether the new definition used under the new dental contractual arrangements can be applied to the years under the old contractual arrangements to produce a consistent time series.
	Both sets of published figures relate to headcounts and do not differentiate between full-time and part-time dentists, nor do they account for the fact that some dentists may do more NHS work than others.

Hospitals: Admissions

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients were treated at Class 1 accident and emergency units in each of the last 10 years.

Mike O'Brien: Information is not collected on the number of patients treated at accident and emergency (A&E) departments. However, data on the number of attendances at A&E type 1 departments are available and published quarterly via the Department of Health's Quarterly Monitoring Accident and Emergency Services dataset. This includes patients who attended A&E but who were not subsequently treated and counts each attendance by the same patient separately.

Hospitals: Learning Disability

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people with a learning disability were  (a) admitted to hospital and  (b) treated by hospital out-patient services in each of the last five years.

Phil Hope: The Department does not hold these data centrally. However, the Government have given priority to access to health care for those with learning disabilities as stated in "Valuing People Now", which was published in January 2009. A copy has already been placed in the Library.

Medical Treatments

Frank Cook: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence on its proposed review of guidance No. 152 on drug-eluting coronary stents; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: No such discussions have taken place. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has recently consulted on its plans to review its guidance on drug-eluting stents for the treatment of coronary artery disease. As a stakeholder, the Department has responded to that consultation. It is understood that NICE is considering the responses to its consultation exercise and will make a decision on the proposed review in due course.

Mental Health Services

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what proportion of personality disorder placements made in 2008-09 were  (a) private and  (b) public sector placements; and what the cost was of each category of placement;
	(2)  what the process is for monitoring the effectiveness of personality disorder placements in the  (a) private and  (b) public sector; what his most recent assessment is of that effectiveness in each case; and on what evidence he bases that assessment.

Phil Hope: Information is not collected by the Department on the proportion or cost of personality disorder placements made in the private sector. Decisions on funding these clinical treatments are made by local and regional specialised commissioning groups and all placements and local service provision is funded through the patient's primary care trust (PCT).
	Information is not collected centrally on the effectiveness of personality disorder placements commissioned by PCTs from the private sector. The national Dangerous and Severe Personality Disorder (DSPD) programme is currently developing models of intervention in the national health service and National Offender Management Service. This programme is undertaking several research and evaluation projects, two of which are expected to deliver their results at the end of 2009.
	Earlier evaluations in respect of other personality disorder/DSPD service developments were set out in the Department's 2003 guidance for NHS trusts, "Personality Disorder—No Longer a Diagnosis of Exclusion". This guidance has been placed in the Library.

Mental Health Services

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the potential for allowing the use of a range of therapies for psychotherapy treatments for depression; and for what reasons guidelines from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence restrict such treatments to cognitive behavioural therapy;
	(2)  what forms of psychotherapy treatment for depression were considered by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence as baselines to its guidance in psychotherapy treatments other than randomised controlled trials.

Phil Hope: The Department has made no such assessment. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) clinical guideline "Depression: Management of Depression in Primary and Secondary Care", published in 2004, identifies cognitive behavioural therapy as one of the principal treatments for depression but also recommends a number of other therapies for use alongside it, including counselling, interpersonal therapy and couples or family therapy.
	NICE is currently reviewing this guidance and expects to publish an updated version in September 2009.
	NICE'S guidance is based on a thorough assessment of the available evidence and is subject to public consultation during its development. Full information on this clinical guideline is available on the NICE website at:
	http://guidance.nice.org.uk/CG23

Mental Health Services: Hospital Beds

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 3 June 2009,  Official Report, column 505W, on mental health services, whether the 3,159 average daily number of available beds in secure units in England includes privately provided beds.

Phil Hope: The data on average number of available beds in secure units in England are for beds in national health service units only and do not include beds provided by the independent sector.

Mental Health Services: Hospital Beds

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 3 June 2009,  Official Report, column 505W, on mental health services, what the average daily number of available beds in all secure units in England was in each of the last five years.

Phil Hope: Data on the average daily number of mental health secure unit beds, and learning disability secure unit beds in national health service units in England over the last five years are set out in the following table.
	
		
			  Average daily number of mental health and learning disability secure unit beds in NHS units 
			   2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 
			 Available mental illness 2,064 2,569 2,696 2,807 2,993 
			 Occupancy mental illness 1,867 2,378 2,472 2,545 2,722 
			 Available learning disability 508 514 503 526 516 
			 Occupancy learning disability 482 470 484 502 489 
			  Note:  The definitions of mental health and learning disability secure unit beds, for the purposes of the KH03 annual beds collection, are:  Mental illness—Other ages, secure unit an Age Group Intended of National Code 8 "Any age", a Broad Patient Group Code of National Code 5 "Patients with mental illness" and a Clinical Care Intensity of National Code 51 "for intensive care: specially designated ward for patients needing containment and more intensive management. This is not to be confused with intensive nursing where a patient may require one to one nursing while on a standard ward".  Learning disabilities—Other ages, secure unit an Age Group Intended of National Code 8 "Any age", a Broad Patient Group Code of National Code 6 "Patients with learning difficulties" and a Clinical Care Intensity of National Code 61 "designated or interim secure unit".   Source:  Department of Health Dataset KH03(1). 
		
	
	These figures do not represent the full level of secure services available to the NHS. Some low secure mental health services are not consistently defined and may well fall outside the definitions used for this data collection. These figures also show only NHS beds in NHS units and not those commissioned by the NHS and provided by independent sector providers.

Mental Health Services: Hospital Beds

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 3 June 2009,  Official Report, column 505W, on mental health services, which 10 mental health hospitals had the highest average bed occupancy levels.

Phil Hope: This information is not collected centrally. Information is collected by the Department on average daily bed numbers within individual national health service trusts, but not on average bed occupancy levels within trusts.

Mental Health Services: Males

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make it his policy to prepare and publish a strategy for male mental health.

Phil Hope: The Government are fully committed to improving men's mental health services through the Gender Equality and Women's Mental Health Programme, within the National Mental Health Development Unit (NMHDU).
	NMHDU has commissioned a scoping exercise to identify the specific mental health needs of men. From this a new programme will emerge, addressing men's mental health issues and the direction for further work.

NHS: Debts

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much bad debt has cost NHS foundation trusts in each year since 2004-05.

Mike O'Brien: We are advised by the chairman of Monitor, the independent regulator of NHS foundation trusts, that bad debt as an operating expense is reported in the Consolidated Accounts for NHS Foundation Trusts. This report is produced annually by Monitor and laid before Parliament. Copies of each report are available from Monitor's website:
	www.monitor-nhsft.gov.uk/
	A summary of available figures on bad debt is set out in the following table.
	
		
			   Number of foundation trusts  Operating expenses: bad debt (£ million) 
			 2004-05 25 8.9 
			 2005-06 32 28.1 
			 2006-07 59 21.5 
			 2007-08 89 17.4 
			 Total — 75.9

NHS: Debts

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what requirements there are upon  (a) his Department and  (b) the Government to hold equity equivalent to the debt of NHS trusts;
	(2)  what methodology his Department uses to account for the  (a) actual and  (b) potential debt of NHS trusts and foundation trusts.

Mike O'Brien: All debt owed to the Department by a national health service trust or NHS foundation trust is recorded as assets on the Department's balance sheet equal to the liability in the NHS trust accounts.
	Where the debt owed to the Department is in the form of a loan this is further disclosed in notes to the Department's accounts.

Primary Care Trusts

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much funding has been allocated to primary care trusts under his Department's Express Local Improvement Finance Trust programme; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: No specific additional funding has been allocated to primary care trusts under the Department's Express Local Improvement Finance Trust (LIFT) programme.
	The Department invested £210 million of enabling capital funding in the first four waves of the original LIFT programme to assist primary care trusts and local authorities with the costs of appointing long-term partners from the private sector.
	The Express LIFT framework has been designed, through the careful pre-selection and approval of the Express LIFT framework partners, to reduce the time and cost for primary care trusts in appointing LIFT partners. This has eliminated the need for any further allocation of enabling funds for the formation of any future LIFT partnerships.

Social Services: Illegal Immigrants

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many reports of care providers employing illegal immigrants have been received by the  (a) Commission for Social Care Inspection and  (b) Care Quality Commission in each year since its establishment; how many such reports have been investigated; and how many illegal immigrants have been found to be working in the care sector by each commission as a result of such investigations to date.

Phil Hope: We are informed by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) that it does not routinely collect information about the number of illegal workers in care services and that no estimates of the numbers of such workers have been made.
	CQC is responsible for regulating and inspecting care services against statutory regulations and national minimum standards—as was its predecessor, the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI), until 1 April 2009. If care services are not meeting these requirements, including those in relation to recruitment and staffing, CQC may take enforcement action against them.
	However, CQC has no specific responsibilities regarding immigration and is not responsible for prosecuting employers in relation to immigration offences. This is the responsibility of the United Kingdom Border Agency (UKBA).
	CSCI agreed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the UKBA in December 2008. The purpose of the MoU was to facilitate co-operation, communication and co-ordination between CSCI and UKBA, to help ensure regulated adult social care services comply with immigration law and best recruitment practice to safeguard the best interests of people who use care services.
	Discussions to develop a MoU between the UKBA and CQC are ongoing. The working arrangements set out in the existing MoU will continue until this is agreed.

Sugar

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the contribution that can be made to public health by reducing the amount of extrinsic sugars in foods and beverages; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  when he expects the Food Standards Agency to consult the public on the next steps in the Saturated Fat and Energy Intake Programme; and whether that consultation will include options for reducing the amount of extrinsic sugar in food and beverages.

Gillian Merron: The Food Standards Agency has lead responsibility for taking forward the work with industry to reduce consumption of, and levels of, sugar in food, including drinks with added sugar.
	This work supports the cross-Government obesity strategy—Healthy Weight Healthy Lives—which encourages industry to reduce the level of sugar in foods to help consumers balance the calories they consume with their needs.
	The agency will be publishing its consultation on voluntary recommendations for action by the food industry to reduce levels of saturated fat, added sugar and portion size for key foods and drink within the next couple of months. These recommendations include sugar reductions for soft drinks, which have been part of discussions with the soft drinks industry. A Cabinet Office report on food, published in January 2008, estimated that a reduction in calories from added sugar to within public health recommendations could potentially avert 3,500 deaths per year.

Sugar

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made in achieving targets for reducing the incidence of childhood obesity; and what steps he is taking to increase  (a) availability to and  (b) uptake by children of reduced sugar versions of beverages and foods.

Gillian Merron: The most recent data in the Health Survey for England showed that the estimated prevalence of obesity among children 2-10 years was 15.4 per cent. in 2007. The NHS Information Centre have indicated that the trend in the prevalence of childhood obesity may have begun to level out over the last two to three years. Confirmation of this change will require at least one more year's data.
	The Food Standards Agency's Saturated Fat and Energy Intake Programme encompasses work to reduce consumption of, and levels of, sugar in food and drink. As part of this, the agency will shortly consult on voluntary recommendations for action by the industry to reduce added sugar in soft drinks.
	The Government have also launched the Change4Life campaign which provides messages on reducing intake of added sugar.
	Further work to limit sugar intake in children is being taken forward by the School Food Trust, e.g. providing healthier foods in vending machines and the introduction of nutrient based standards for school lunches. In addition, Ofcom has restricted the broadcast advertising of foods high in fat, salt, and sugar during children's programmes and programmes of particular appeal to children up to the age of 16.

Tobacco

John Cummings: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance his Department has provided to other Government Departments on their dealings with the tobacco industry under the guidelines of Article 5.3 of the World Health Organisation's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.

Gillian Merron: The Secretary of State for Health wrote to the Prime Minster on 1 May 2009, to draw the attention of all Government Departments to the set of guidelines under article 5.3, which concerns Government engagement with the tobacco industry.
	Article 5.3 states that:
	"In setting and implementing their public health policies with respect to tobacco control, Parties shall act to protect these policies from commercial and other vested interests of the tobacco industry in accordance with national law."
	A copy of the letter has been placed in the Library.

Tobacco: Sales

Stephen Ladyman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will consult the National Federation of Retail Newsagents on the provisions contained in Part 3 of the Health Bill [ Lords].

Gillian Merron: The Department's policy has always been to consult interested stakeholders. This includes consultation on tobacco policy and legislation.
	The National Federation of Retail Newsagents provided a consultation response to the 'Consultation on the future of tobacco control' which was reflected in the report on that consultation, which considered the legislation on prohibiting tobacco displays.
	The National Federation of Retail Newsagents met Baroness Thornton during the passage of the Health Bill through the House of Lords and are setting a date to meet departmental officials during the passage of the Bill through the House of Commons.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Carbon Emissions: Electronic Equipment

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will estimate the carbon dioxide emissions arising from the continuous operation of  (a) televisions and  (b) other electrical goods in electrical goods outlets.

Dan Norris: I have been asked to reply.
	No such estimate has been made by DEFRA. The Department holds no information on carbon dioxide emissions from televisions and other electrical goods displayed in shops.

Carbon Emissions: Housing

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of implications for his Department's policies of the definition of zero-carbon used in proposed new buildings standards approved by the European Parliament.

Joan Ruddock: holding answer 8 June 2009
	An assessment has not been made of the amendments recently proposed by the European Parliament to the recast of the energy performance of buildings directive. The European Commission is considering the amendments and will adopt a position on them shortly. We will assess the implications of the position adopted by the Commission at that stage.
	We are currently preparing a consultation document on the recast of the energy performance of buildings directive which is scheduled for publication in July 2009.

Eaga

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what payments his Department and its predecessors have made to Eaga for providing benefits advice in each of the last five years.

Joan Ruddock: Payments for this provision form part of the contract between the Department and Eaga and, as such, are commercially sensitive.

Energy Saving Trust

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 11 March 2009,  Official Report, column 523W, on the Energy Saving Trust, how his Department monitors the annual performance of the Energy Saving Trust; and on what basis the Trust's estimates of annual and lifetime carbon dioxide savings are calculated.

Joan Ruddock: The Energy Saving Trust proposes an annual programme of work aimed at reducing domestic CO2 emissions, which is grant funded by DECC. The trust reports to DECC on a quarterly basis on the progress of the work, including achievements against a number of key performance indicators.
	The Energy Saving Trust undertakes evaluations to assess impact across the range of activities for its main audiences. The evaluations employ rigorous methodologies involving both quantitative and qualitative surveys of target audiences (e.g. consumers), developed with independent evaluation consultancies to determine influence on annual and lifetime CO2 emissions.
	Quantitative evaluation activity takes the form of impact assessments that aim to identify the CO2 savings attributable to Energy Saving Trust activity and the cost of these savings. Impact assessments are undertaken through specifically designed evaluation surveys of a representative sample of audience members to identify actions that have been undertaken as a result of the trust's programme activities. The assessments of CO2 savings are aligned with values used for Government policies (e.g. CERT for energy efficiency measures) wherever possible.
	The above evaluation is supported by qualitative evaluation, the objective of which is to ensure that the trust understands how impacts have been achieved. Lessons learned are then fed into the planning and development of any future activity.

Energy: Prices

Alan Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the effect on the average annual household energy bill of the operation of  (a) the climate change levy and climate change agreements,  (b) the renewables obligation,  (c) the energy efficiency commitment/carbon emissions reduction target,  (d) the EU emissions trading scheme and  (e) other environmental mechanisms in each of the last three years.

Joan Ruddock: DECC's analysis estimates that the benefits to the UK of our main measures to help avert climate change could outweigh the costs by more than 10 times. Where these measures lead to an international climate agreement consistent with delivering a 450ppm stabilisation of greenhouse gas atmospheric concentrations, we estimate the total benefits at £241.9 billion. This compares with total costs of £20.6 billion. The Impact Assessment can be found at:
	www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/what_we_do/lc_uk/carbon_budgets/carbon_budgets.aspx
	Of current average electricity bills for medium-sized household consumers, approximately 12 to 14 per cent. is attributable to climate change legislation (the Renewables Obligation, the EU Emissions Trading Scheme and the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target).
	For domestic gas consumers, DECC estimates costs of the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target on average gas bills at approximately 2 per cent. However the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target supports energy efficiency measures for households and so will deliver over time an overall saving greater than its total cost to consumers.
	The Climate Change Levy and Climate Change Agreements apply to businesses, not to households.
	An energy and climate change strategy setting out the proposals and policies for meeting carbon budgets will be laid before Parliament in the summer. This report will put the Government's carbon reduction strategy in the context of the overall programme for delivering secure and low-carbon energy, transport and housing, in a way which benefits the UK economy into the future. An estimate of the cost of the proposed financial mechanism for carbon capture and storage demonstration will also be published as part of the Impact Assessment alongside the consultation in the summer.

Fossil Fuels: Subsidies

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps he is taking to ensure that global fossil fuel subsidies are reduced as part of a post-2012 agreement at the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change conference of parties to the Kyoto Protocol in Copenhagen in December 2009.

Joan Ruddock: We recognise that fossil fuel subsidies form a barrier to the development, deployment and diffusion of low carbon technologies.
	Each country will have different strategies for reducing its greenhouse gas emissions. Where countries have absolute emissions reduction targets, it is clear that the removal of subsidies is one way in which they could meet such targets.
	For developing countries that do not have absolute emissions reduction targets, the EU has proposed that "low carbon development strategies" be prepared, to enable these countries to take action to reduce their emissions. Efforts to remove subsidies could be part of these plans, and support could be provided by the international community to enable this to occur.

Members: Correspondence

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when he will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Northavon of 21 November 2008, regarding Warm Front grants, sent on behalf of Mr. Hussey.

Joan Ruddock: I replied to the hon. Member for Northavon on 30 March 2009 and apologise for the long delay, which was due to departmental reorganisation.

Members: Correspondence

Michael Spicer: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State plans to reply to the email from the hon. Member for West Worcestershire of 19 February 2009 on Warm Front.

Joan Ruddock: holding answer 24 April 2009
	I responded to the hon. Member's letter on 30 April 2009, with apologies for the delay.

Warm Front Scheme

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many people have received grants under the Warm Front scheme in each year since its inception; and what categories of information his Department collects on successful applicants to the scheme.

Joan Ruddock: holding answer 23 March 2009
	The following table details the number of households assisted by the Warm Front scheme in each year since its inception:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2000-01 97,616 
			 2001-02 307,678 
			 2002-03 219,328 
			 2003-04 188,974 
			 2004-05 208,084 
			 2005-06 173,184 
			 2006-07 253,079 
			 2007-08 268,900 
			 2008-09 233,594 
		
	
	To determine their eligibility for Warm Front, the scheme manager collects the following information from all applicants to the scheme: name, date of birth, ethnicity, address and telephone number; evidence of tenure (and landlord information if a rented property); and evidence of receipt of benefit. When benefits are related to other members of the household these details are also required.
	For successful applicants, additional information is also collected on the property, including the name of the energy supplier, number of residents and property data required to complete the Reduced Data Standard Assessment Procedure which enables the scheme manager to determine the increase in the energy efficiency of a household as an outcome of the measures installed.
	All data are handled fully in accordance with the Data Protection Act.

Warm Front Scheme

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many complaints have been received by his Department regarding the quality of Warm Front heating installations in the last 12 months.

Joan Ruddock: The Department has only recently begun to record the number of complaints received in respect of Warm Front heating installations. As such, we cannot provide consolidated data for this period.

Warm Front Scheme

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what cash in bank requirement there is for Warm Front contractors.

Joan Ruddock: All registered installers are required to provide a performance bond of £25,000 to cover remedial work and other potential liabilities for up to two years after they cease to be on the scheme.

Warm Front Scheme

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the average Warm Front grant per heating installation has been for each sub-contractor under the scheme.

Joan Ruddock: A copy of this information has been placed in the Library of the House.

Warm Front Scheme

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what payments have been made by his Department to  (a) Eaga and  (b) its associated companies in each of the last eight years.

Joan Ruddock: The following table shows the payments made by DECC and its predecessor Department to Eaga since the beginning of this phase of the Warm Front scheme in 2005, alongside the total grant spend for this year. All payments to installers and suppliers working on Warm Front are made through Eaga.
	The final column shows the total value of these payments that are retained by Eaga in scheme management fees and their subsidiary organisations that work on Warm Front. The amount paid to the subsidiary organisations does not exceed 30 per cent. of the work available in any period.
	
		
			  £000 
			  Scheme year  Warm Front budget-allocated spend  Sum of payments( 1)  Payments retained by  E aga or subsidiaries 
			 2005-06 187,286 171,928 45,070 
			 2006-07 315,000 317,111 101,654 
			 2007-08 350,000 377,509 127,020 
			 2008-09(2) 377,562 385,125 135,052 
			 (1) Warm Front has generated income through trading energy savings to energy suppliers to help them meet their Energy Efficiency Commitment/Carbon Emissions Reduction Target obligations. This income is then used to provide more measures through Warm Front. Therefore the sum of monies paid by the Department to Eaga exceeds the budget allocation in some years. (2) The data for the 2008-09 financial year run to 28 February 2009.

Warm Front Scheme

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many former officials of his Department and its predecessors now work for Eaga and its associated companies.

Joan Ruddock: Two former officials of predecessor Departments are currently employed by the Eaga group of companies.

Warm Front Scheme

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many Warm Front heating installations have been inspected by his Department's officials.

Joan Ruddock: DECC has appointed an independent quality assessor, White Young Green, to carry out such inspections on its behalf. These inspections, carried out on a random sample of jobs, assess the quality of the installation in terms of workmanship, health and safety, and adherence to scheme specifications. White Young Green reports back to the Department on its findings through bi-yearly audit reports and other ad hoc audits requested by the Department.

Warm Front Scheme

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many visits Ministers in his Department and its predecessor have made to properties where Warm Front heating has been installed in the last 12 months.

Joan Ruddock: Three such visits have taken place in the last 12 months.

Warm Front Scheme

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 5 March 2009,  Official Report, column 1807W, on Warm Front scheme: lighting, on what assumptions calculations using the industry standard software of the carbon abatement accruing from the Warm Front scheme are based.

Joan Ruddock: No assumptions are made in this respect. Under the terms of the Warm Front contract, Eaga is required to calculate the standard assessment procedure (SAP) ratings using SAP2001 (the industry standard software).
	This software does not recognise any contribution by compact fluorescent light bulbs to carbon savings. We are unable to comment on the assumptions on which this software makes calculations as the Department is not the writer of the software.

Warm Front Scheme

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many boilers installed under the Warm Front scheme in  (a) Sutton and Cheam constituency and  (b) England have required repair on (i) one, (ii) two, (iii) three and (iv) four or more occasions; and if he will make a statement.

Joan Ruddock: The latest period for which figures are available is 1 September 2007 to 25 March 2009. The following data show system repairs (including although not exclusively pertaining to boiler repairs) in Sutton and Cheam and England respectively.
	
		
			   Sutton and Cheam  England 
			 1 visit 93 66,436 
			 2 visits 40 20,384 
			 3 visits 7 6,227 
			 4 visits 2 2,967 
			 Total properties covered 519 372,775 
			 Total properties visited 142 96,014

Warm Front Scheme

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many domestic properties have received insulation improvements under the Warm Front scheme since its inception.

Joan Ruddock: holding answer 27 April 2009
	During the contracted period, June 2005 to end of scheme year 2008-09 (31 March), the Warm Front scheme has installed insulation in 337,084 households across England.

Warm Front Scheme

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many companies Eaga plc have removed from the approved supplier list for the Warm Front scheme in  (a) the East Midlands and  (b) England since the scheme's introduction.

Joan Ruddock: Eaga has managed Warm Front in the East Midlands since 2005, and cannot provide information on installers prior to that date. Since 2005, no installer in the East Midlands or nationally has been removed from the scheme by Eaga.

Warm Front Scheme

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change which companies Eaga plc has removed from the approved supplier list for the Warm Front scheme in  (a) North West Cambridgeshire constituency,  (b) Cambridgeshire,  (c) the East of England and  (d) the UK since the introduction of the scheme.

Joan Ruddock: Since the start of the current phase of the Warm Front scheme in 2005, no installer in  (a) North West Cambridgeshire constituency,  (b) Cambridgeshire,  (c) the East of England or  (d) nationally has been removed from the scheme by Eaga, but eight have left the scheme.

Warm Front Scheme

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many  (a) lofts and  (b) cavities were insulated through the Warm Front programme in each of the last three years.

Joan Ruddock: The following tables show the number of  (a) lofts and  (b) cavities insulated through the Warm Front programme in each of the last three years, and in the current year to date.
	
		
			   2006-07  2007-08  2008-09  Current year to date( 1) 
			  (a) Lofts 61,368 60,652 57,104 13,360 
			  (b) Cavities 36,237 31,227 27,100 6,871 
			 (1) 29 March 2009 to 30 May 2009.

Warm Front Scheme: Contracts

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many Warm Front contractors have declared themselves bankrupt; and on what date each did so.

Joan Ruddock: holding answer 24 March 2009
	Contractors cannot work on the scheme while bankrupt but one contractor has declared itself to be in voluntary liquidation. Heating Efficiency Systems Ltd. declared its voluntary liquidation status on 3 March 2009, and, as such is no longer registered on the Warm Front scheme.

Warm Front Scheme: Contracts

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what percentage of work under Warm Front heating installation contracts has been directly delivered by Eaga under each company brand name which it uses.

Joan Ruddock: holding answer 24 March 2009
	I can confirm that between 1 June 2005 and 20 March 2009, Eaga's installers were given 29 per cent. of allocations under the scheme to date. A breakdown of the allocation to Eaga's in-house installers is provided in the following table. This breakdown is based on a restriction DECC has agreed with Eaga: that Eaga's in-house installers are restricted to carrying out no more than an allocated 30 per cent. of the work available under Warm Front during the lifetime of the scheme.
	
		
			  Breakdown of 29 per cent. allocation to Eaga in-house installers 
			   Percentage 
			 Iguana(1) 14.6 
			 Eaga Home Services Ltd. 13.2 
			 Eaga Scotland Ltd. 0.6 
			 Eaga Social Housing 0.6 
			 Total 29 
			 (1) Trading as Eagaheat since 2 March 2009.

Warm Front Scheme: Cornwall

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many pensioners resident in Cornwall have  (a) been eligible for and  (b) received a grant from the Warm Front scheme in each year since it was launched.

Joan Ruddock: While we cannot estimate the number of people who may have been eligible for Warm Front assistance in each year of the scheme, the following table details the number of applicants over 60 who have received a Warm Front grant in Cornwall since the scheme's inception.
	
		
			  Scheme year  Households assisted 
			 2000-01 443 
			 2001-02 1,214 
			 2002-03 944 
			 2003-04 1,522 
			 2004-05 1,784 
			 2005-06 1,423 
			 2006-07 1,529 
			 2007-08 1,822 
			 2008-09 to 25 January 1,383 
			 Total 12,064

Warm Front Scheme: Winchester

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many pensioners resident in Winchester constituency  (a) were eligible for and  (b) have received a grant from the Warm Front scheme in each year since its inception.

Joan Ruddock: Eaga does not record or estimate the number of eligible households at any given time.
	The following table presents the total number of households assisted in this constituency in each year since the scheme's inception in 2000. It also provides details of the number of households assisted with a resident over 60 years of age.
	
		
			  Scheme year  Over 60  Total number of households assisted 
			 2000-01 26 42 
			 2001-02 71 122 
			 2002-03 81 112 
			 2003-04 38 59 
			 2004-05 64 97 
			 2005-06 47 73 
			 2006-07 53 85 
			 2007-08 75 105 
			 2008-09 113 164

CHILDREN, SCHOOLS AND FAMILIES

School Playing Fields

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what recent estimate he has made of the number of secondary schools that do not have their own sports playing fields.

Iain Wright: The Department does not hold an estimate of the number of secondary schools that do not have their own playing fields.
	Whether or not schools have their own playing fields, which may not be possible in urban settings, they are required to have access to team game playing fields proportionate to their pupil numbers and type.

Primary Capital Programme

Joan Humble: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much he has allocated to the Primary Capital Programme in Blackpool for the next three years.

Diana Johnson: Following approval to Blackpool's revised Primary Strategy for Change, my officials wrote to the authority on 13 May confirming additional funding allocations of £3 million for 2009-10 and £5.38 million in 2010-11 to support local delivery of the Primary Capital Programme. Decisions about funding for future years will be taken in the context of the next spending review.

Literacy Teaching

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps he is taking to improve the teaching of literacy in schools.

Diana Johnson: Primary literacy standards are the highest levels ever, and GCSE English pass rates are rising. The National Strategies support schools across England to strengthen the quality of literacy teaching, including phonics, and disseminate good practice. In particular, the 'Every Child a Reader' and 'Every Child a Writer' programmes support the neediest pupils' literacy development. We work closely with the Training and Development Agency to ensure that Initial Teacher Training providers offer the best possible training.

Autism

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps his Department is taking to ensure that children diagnosed with autism are not excluded from mainstream education.

Edward Balls: I have made it clear that schools should actively avoid permanently excluding children with SEN other than in the most exceptional circumstances. This includes children with autism whose disability often results in challenging behaviour. We have reduced exclusions of children with SEN because schools are intervening early and providing targeted support and we have accepted all Sir Alan Steer's recent recommendations to support and challenge local authorities with disproportionate high exclusions of children with SEN including those with autism.

Permanent Exclusions

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many children of school age who have been permanently excluded from school are without schooling.

Vernon Coaker: Local authorities have a statutory duty to provide suitable full-time education from the sixth school day of a permanent exclusion. A recent Ofsted report commissioned by DCSF found eight of 18 local authorities surveyed did not fully comply with the legal requirements. We accept Ofsted's recommendations and will work with them and with the National Strategies to provide support and challenge in improving access to alternative provision.

Secondary Schools

Robert Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what recent assessment he has made of educational standards in secondary schools; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Balls: In 2008, 129,000 more pupils achieved 5+ A*-C GCSEs than in 1997, an increase of 19.7 percentage points; the corresponding figure including English and maths is 76,500 pupils—an increase of 12 percentage points.

Careers Advice

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps he plans to take to improve careers advice for school pupils; and if he will make a statement.

Iain Wright: Through the Education and Skills Act 2008 statutory duty on schools to deliver careers education impartially and the statutory guidance to be published this autumn, we are placing clear expectations on schools for the provision of high quality information on all 14-19 learning options. We also have a clause governing advice on apprenticeships in the Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Bill and we will set out further measures in our information, advice and guidance strategy later this year.

School Buildings: Expenditure

Linda Gilroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what plans he has to bring forward spending on school buildings to 2009-10.

Edward Balls: £939 million of school capital funding allocations to schools and to 121 local authorities are being brought forward from 2010-11 to 2009-10. These will be spent on school buildings, ICT and other capital items.
	It is disappointing that 27 local authorities did not take up the offer of bringing forward a possible £183 million.

Children's Social Care

Brooks Newmark: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps he is taking to improve standards of children's social care; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: We are taking a number of steps to improve children's social care. We are improving the skills and capacity of the work force, supported by an extra £73 million and have set up the Social Work Task Force.
	We have accepted all the recommendations in Lord Laming's report on safeguarding and have published a detailed action plan to implement these.
	We are also implementing our "Care Matters" programme to improve the support given to children in care.

Schools: Halifax

Linda Riordan: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what plans there are to renew and refurbish the fabric of schools in Halifax.

Vernon Coaker: Decisions on which schools to invest in are a matter for the local authority. Halifax primary schools will benefit from Calderdale's Primary Capital Programme allocation of £8.67 million over the next two years. Halifax secondary schools will be renewed and refurbished when Calderdale joins the BSF programme. I am aware that my hon. Friend met the former Schools Minister to discuss Halifax's BSF project. I am considering the matters that were raised.

Language Teaching: Secondary Schools

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of language teaching in secondary schools; and if he will make a statement.

Diana Johnson: Ofsted's languages report published in July 2008 found that a third of schools surveyed showed considerable strengths in languages teaching. Teaching observed was rated satisfactory in a further 50 per cent. of schools. Strengths included thorough planning, a variety of activities and good questioning of students to ensure comprehension. Weaker features included insufficient practice in the language and over-reliance on course books and memorisation of words and phrases.

Primary Schools

Philip Dunne: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what recent assessment he has made of standards of educational achievement in primary schools.

Diana Johnson: Standards in primary schools have never been higher. In 2008 Key Stage 2 results show 81 per cent. of 11-year-olds achieved level 4 or above in English and 79 per cent. achieved level 4 or above in mathematics.
	There have been consistent and significant improvements in our primary schools over the past decade. Compared to 1997, over 113,000 more 11-year-olds achieved the target level for their age in reading, writing and mathematics in 2008.

Care Homes

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will increase his Department's funding for local authority provision for vulnerable children in care homes.

Dawn Primarolo: Local authority expenditure on services for looked after children has increased from £1.3 billion to approximately £2.2 billion in 2007-08. In addition, for 2007-08 and through the spending review period, almost £300 million extra has been provided by Government to help Care Matters reforms.
	It is essential that the residential sector provides good quality care. As part of this aim we are piloting social pedagogy and working with the Children's Workforce Development Council to improve standards.

CRB Checks: Teachers

John Whittingdale: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what recent representations he has received on the retention of information on the outcomes of Criminal Records Bureau checks on teachers.

Vernon Coaker: I am aware of representations made to the CRB in January 2009 by Southend-on-Sea borough council. The question concerned the retention of risk assessment information made by recruiting managers, including cases where an individual is appointed to a post after a CRB disclosure has been provided which includes relevant information. The CRB responded to the question, and DCSF officials undertook to consider the issue in the context of planned revisions to the Department's "Safeguarding Children and Safer Recruitment" guidance.

Standard Assessment Tests

Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps he is taking to ensure the timely marking of standard assessment tests in 2009; and if he will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: Marking of this year's National Curriculum Key Stage 2 tests in 2009 is well under way and the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) advise that they are currently on schedule to deliver results to schools by 7 July.
	The Department is monitoring delivery closely, and Ministers are receiving regular updates on progress.

Apprentices

Tom Levitt: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much funding his Department has allocated to apprenticeships for young people aged 16 to 18 years in 2010-11.

Iain Wright: Planned national expenditure on 16 to 18 apprenticeships for 2010-11 will be published in the LSC's Annual Statement of Priorities in autumn 2009, and confirmed in March 2010.

Apprentices

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what  (a) assistance and  (b) funding his Department provides to people under 18 years old undertaking an apprenticeship.

Iain Wright: The Department, with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, created the National Apprenticeship Service (NAS) which has end-to-end responsibility for apprenticeships and has been fully operational since April this year. Supporting 16 to 18-year-olds is one of the NAS's key priorities for 2009/10. The NAS works with employers across the country to develop apprenticeship opportunities, and works with Connexions and other agencies to ensure that young people have the information and support they need to access them. From the beginning of this year the on-line apprenticeship vacancy system has been operating, providing a free service for employers and providers to advertise apprenticeship vacancies, and allowing potential apprentices to register and apply for vacancies. Young people can also access apprenticeship opportunities through their local 14-19 Prospectus, a user-friendly, fully searchable directory of education and training available in their area at entry level through to NVQ level 3.
	The Department fully funds the training element of apprenticeships for 16 to 18-year-olds. The apprenticeships budget for 16 to 18-year-olds is £628 million for 2008-09 and £675 million for 2009-10.
	In addition, earlier in the year my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister announced a £140 million package to provide 35,000 extra apprenticeship places in the coming year.
	Apprenticeship starts increased from 65,000 in 1996/97 to 225,000 in 2007/08, up 22 per cent. on the year before. Since 1996/97 over 2 million people have started an apprenticeship.

Departmental Data Protection

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many notifications his Department made to the Information Commissioner in the year ended 30 April 2009 in respect of the loss or mishandling of personal information or data; what was notified in each such case; and how many individuals were the subjects of personal information or data in respect of which such notifications were made.

Diana Johnson: Under the mandatory requirements of the Data Handling Report published on 25 June 2008, the Department for Children, Schools and Families is required to give a summary report on data breaches reported to the Information Commissioner in its annual resource accounts.
	The Department for Children, Schools and Families has reported on personal data breaches in the 2007-08 annual resource account and this can be found at:
	www.dcsf.gov.uk/aboutus/reports/
	We will be publishing information on personal data security breaches reported to the Information Commissioner for the 2008-09 reporting year before Parliament rises in July. The information is currently being compiled and is to be audited and verified before it is laid before Parliament.

Departmental Data Protection

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many officials in his Department have been  (a) disciplined and  (b) dismissed for (i) breaches of data protection requirements and (ii) inappropriate use of personal or sensitive data in the last 12 months.

Diana Johnson: Information is a key asset to Government and its correct handling is vital to the delivery of public services and to the integrity of HMG. The Security Policy Framework and the Data Handling Report produced by the Cabinet Office provide a strategic framework for protecting information that Government handle and put in place a set of mandatory measures which Departments must adhere to.
	DCSF has clear guidance for all staff about their responsibilities in relation to information handling and data security, which is regularly reinforced. In addition all staff must complete online protecting information training by 31 August 2009. The Department will take robust action against any member of staff who fails to take reasonable steps to safeguard the information and data for which they or their staff are responsible, and this may include dismissal and criminal proceedings where appropriate.
	In DCSF there have been less than five such breaches where disciplinary action has been appropriate in the 12 months to 31 May 2009 and individual detail is suppressed on grounds of confidentiality.

Departmental Dismissal

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many members of staff in his Department and its predecessor and their agencies were dismissed  (a) for under-performance and  (b) in total in each of the last 10 years.

Diana Johnson: The Department was established on 28 June 2007. Less than five staff were dismissed by the Department in the financial year 2007-08, and seven during 2008-09. During each of these periods there have been less than five dismissals for failure to consistently meet performance standards. Information about totals of less than five is suppressed on grounds of confidentiality. The Department has no agencies.
	Information for preceding years could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Education Maintenance Allowance

Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many people have received the education maintenance allowance since the inception of the scheme.

Iain Wright: This is a matter for the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) who operate the education maintenance allowance (EMA) for the Department for Children, Schools and Families. Geoffrey Russell, the LSC's Acting Chief Executive, will write to the hon. Member with the information requested and a copy of his reply will be placed in the House Library.

History: Primary Education

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what estimate he has made of the percentage of children in each school year from 7 to 11 who are being taught British history.

Diana Johnson: History is a statutory subject for all pupils to the end of key stage 3, normally school year 9. British history is a compulsory element of the National Curriculum at all key stages. It is therefore expected that all children will be taught British history at least to the age of 14.
	History is not compulsory at key stage 4, normally years 10 and 11, but students are entitled to follow a humanities course (comprising geography and history). Citizenship, which is statutory at key stages 3 and 4, also provides opportunities for pupils to explore what it means to be British as part of a wider discussion of their identities. GCSE history remains a popular choice for young people and must contain at least 25 per cent. British history.

Pupils: Free School Meals

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what proportion of children are entitled to free school meals in each local authority area; and what the percentage change in such proportions was in each area between 1997 and 2008.

Dawn Primarolo: The information requested has been placed in the House Libraries.

Schools: Romford

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether he has plans to visit schools in Romford in 2009-10.

Diana Johnson: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families does not have any current plans to visit schools in Romford.

Schools: Transport

David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much was spent on school transport in  (a) Greater Manchester and  (b) England in the latest period for which figures are available.

Diana Johnson: The available information on how much was spent on school transport in Greater Manchester and England for 2007-08 is contained in the table:
	
		
			  Local authority  Net current expenditure on home to school transport (£) 
			 England 890,257,904 
			   
			 Greater Manchester 34,963,146 
			 Bolton 3,278,553 
			 Bury 2,075,000 
			 Manchester 10,162,745 
			 Oldham 2,056,754 
			 Rochdale 2,275,858 
			 Salford 2,976,705 
			 Stockport 3,115,984 
			 Tameside 1,420,000 
			 Trafford 3,430,994 
			 Wigan 4,170,554 
			  Notes: 1. 2007-08 data are subject to change by local authority. 2. Cash terms figures as reported by local authorities as at 21 April 2009. 3. The data are drawn from the local authorities section 52 outturn statements (table A).

Special Educational Needs

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the average cost of placing a child with a statement of special educational needs for behavioural, emotional and social difficulties in a special school was in the last year for which figures are available.

Diana Johnson: During the 2008-09 financial year, we estimate that the average funding for a maintained special school place was £17,633. However, from information held centrally it is not possible to estimate this figure for children with behavioural, emotional and social difficulties in particular.
	In estimating this figure we have included all children attending maintained special schools. We have not included related costs often incurred by local authorities, such as home to school transport, or the capital costs associated with building or refurbishing maintained special schools. We have also not included the cost of places in independent sector and non-maintained special schools.

Special Educational Needs: General Certificate of Secondary Education

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families pursuant to the answer of 20 April 2009,  Official Report, column 279W, on special educational needs: general certificate of secondary education, at how many mainstream schools which had between one and nine pupils with statements of special educational needs no such pupils achieved five A* to C grades at GCSE in 2008.

Diana Johnson: Statistical disclosure rules are operated to protect the inadvertent disclosure of personal information about an individual pupil. For achievement data, the recognised approach is to suppress school level performance information where there are 10 or fewer pupils at the end of key stage 4 in the school.
	That is accepted practice in the published Achievement and Attainment Tables. Following that approach, it would not normally be possible to give school level performance information for schools with 10 or fewer pupils at the end of key stage 4 with statements of special educational needs.
	While naming individual schools would potentially disclose personal information about individual pupils, simply stating the number of schools does not.
	Additionally, in the previous answer, the approach was relaxed slightly to fewer than 10 pupils (rather than 10 or fewer) at the end of key stage 4 with statements of special educational needs.
	There are 26 maintained mainstream schools with more than 10 pupils with statements of SEN at the end of key stage 4, where no pupils with statements of SEN achieved five or more GCSEs at grades A*-C or the equivalent in 2008.
	There are 43 maintained mainstream schools with 10 or more pupils with statements of SEN at the end of key stage 4, where no pupils with statements of SEN achieved five or more GCSEs at grades A*-C or the equivalent in 2008.
	As the number of pupils was over the 10 pupils threshold for those schools, they were named in previous answers.
	There were 2,542 maintained mainstream schools at which between one and nine pupils at the end of key stage 4 had statements of special educational needs in 2008.
	There were 1,279 maintained mainstream schools at which between one and nine pupils at the end of key stage 4 had statements of special educational needs and where no such pupils achieved five or more GCSEs at grade A* to C or the equivalent, in 2008.
	To prevent inadvertent disclosure of personal information, it will not be possible to name those schools in subsequent answers.
	The source of these data is the Achievement and Attainment Tables' database.